self care | 5 ways to beat january blues

Amara Amaryah | travel + books + poetry, always poetry. a platform for story-telling, visuals, positive self-talk and empowerment | january blues

hello loves

january is a tough one. on the one hand you’ve got that strong, ambitious capricorn boss energy. and on the other hand, my plants are definitely dying, my hair is dry and i’m pretending that vitamin D deficiency is completely normal. and everyone has the january blues.

one of my favourite quotes from my favourite truman capote novella ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’ adds to the picture:

Holly Golightly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?

Paul Varjak: The mean reds, you mean like the blues?

Holly Golightly: No. The blues are because you’re getting fat and maybe it’s been raining too long, you’re just sad that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?

no more mean reds or january blues. we deserve comfort in our selves and our situations.

here is how i propose we meet the month:

1. new year?

in the last few years i have stopped treating january 1st as the start of a new year. it is the transition from 20__ to 20__ and it is a chance for me to review the last 12 months. and it’s that perspective that manages my emotional and personal expectations for this year. january is not the spiritual start of the year. this is not the time God intended for the world to restart and prepare for new beginnings . i maintain, we can be made anew whenever. but there is a time and a season where the entire earth is being prepared for change.

abib – the month of new. spring time. this is where i’ve always felt naturally more lifted and in sync with the world that restarts itself. (spring clean?) i pay more attention to the intentions i set in spring than i do in january. i like goals all year round, but i pay attention to which calendar i’m forcing on myself and my spirit. my spirit tells me when its time for renewal, never the other way. |exodus 12: 2.

2. balance.

everything is balance. meet difficulty with ease, however you can. meet trying times with softness. make that an affirmation. you wake up feeling low, it’s still dark and you’re tired because you were up late getting those january goals accomplished. make it easy for yourself by doing nice things for yourself. dress up. dress down. flood yourself with good things to balance out the january blues. you deserve the happiness that the january blues tries to steal. gift it back to yourself and exchange january blues for whichever source of goodness you need. as many times a day as you need. you deserve guilt-free happiness and you don’t need to explain this to anyone.

3. travel.

which leads me to my next point – pick yourself up and go. book a flight, jump on a national train, go and see it for yourself. explore somewhere- anywhere- for the first time. and when you get there, document it. well. your documentation is vital for those moments of january blues or anxiety when you forget how good you felt. 

the key is not to treat travel as a form of escape. it’s a change and a break that allows you to return to your old spot, self, scenario with more. the more you travel the more you you become. and so the more access you have to this self, the better you’ll be equipped to handle what comes your way.

note: the january blues don’t vanish as you book a flight. but the weight of january expectations becomes less significant when you’re preoccupied studying a new place and adding the parts you love to your own identity. funnily enough i wrote this section of the post in an airport on my way to travel budapest solo. a look back to january 2017 + 2018 and i would have never been able to offer myself that peace or known how necessary it was. check out my instagram for budapest highlights.

4. be busy.

not just with your goals. be busy dirty cackling with old friends. be busy writing rubbish poetry and then deeper, honest poetry. be busy admiring yourself. be busy talking on the phone. be busy scheduling movie nights and snacking with the people who have learnt to watch the film over your loud munching. remember life is more than goals. in january we assign it as a month purely for achievement and forget that we need to busy ourselves being human. any other mindset welcomes january blues.

5. your circle.

this section is a gentle reminder that you’re most likely not the only person in your circle going through it. in the western world, most of us grow up in an environment which encourages us to think of ourselves as singular individuals. don’t let that teaching make you forget that we’re all connected. this means two things. one, that you’re energy is transferrable and vice versa. choose to surround yourself with positivity and if you’re surrounded by loads of people feeling the january blues then make a decision to integrate good energy into the circle. second thing, you don’t owe it to anyone to carry a heavy burden. make the decision about which conversations you will engage in. how they’re going to help or harm you. i think it is so easy to feel as though you owe yourself to everyone. sometimes fall back. let someone who is able pick up the baton. just remember that they love you so they will understand.

tips from my favourite positive minds.

those are all of my tips. i hope they act as reminders when it gets tough. you got this. as an addition, here are some of the thoughts from my favourite wellness, mental heath writers + postive peoples. [they are all tagged through their names- go follow for more positivity]

1. Saabirah Lawrence. 

Personally I have focused on going at my own pace. there’s a pressure to achieve everything in the first month of the new year, but by doing something, anything related to a goal or my next step I am still closer to what I want. So really just take your time, whilst doing what is required when it is required.

2. Mr. real positive (the positive cousin we all need)

Januay Blues. So most people say “New Year, New Me”

What does that really mean? How does the change in 1 or 2 digits in the date make any difference to who you are? Why don’t we say “New Day, New Me”? We haven’t got to wait till the end of the year. Hold your head high from the moment you wake up.

January Blues for me is a myth. January for most people is about sacrifice. You have to say no I won’t do this or I’m unable to do that right now. It’s more of a lesson about value. What is more important in your life? My view is don’t get upset about something that can’t be changed because of the previous month. Get focused & follow through with what you knew was coming. Don’t act like it was a surprise. You knew this was coming, so don’t sit down & sulk or have some self pity party for yourself. Get up look in the mirror & say “I’ve got this. I knew it was coming. I’m gonna be the best me I can be & nothing else.” STAY POSITIVE BE POSITIVE BE THE BEST YOUR ARE THE BEST LOVE YOURSELF & THRIVE!

3. Amani

Well I would say… After the festive period, the January blues can hit us like a ton of bricks. All of a sudden the parties and fun are over and we can be left with the anxieties of what is going to happen in upcoming year. I know money can be tight at this time of year but try to plan affordable things to look forward to. It could be a bubble bath. It could going to a friends house. But giving yourself little things to look forward to can take your mind away from the overwhelming feeling of the new year.

4. Itunu

Beating January Blues for me is all about actively choosing joy. Amidst the expectation and pressure that can come from a new year and a fresh start one can get overwhelmed but this year I aim to take the approach of choosing to be joyful irrespective of what has or hasn’t been crossed off my to do lists. My blog helps me to be transparent about my journey as a young Christian woman and I believe that transparency is what truly frees people so I’m excited to learn more about and from God this year.

thank you for reading what i write. i hope this helps with your healing and that you take january into your own hands. subscribe to never miss a post and comment below how you beat the january blues.

Yah bless.

Amara Amaryah.

#lifelessons #blackbritishbloggers #wordpress #selflove #blogger #positivity #january #januaryblues #vsco #photography #pintrerest #newyear #storytelling #selfcare #lifestyle