January really is crap

[Nomoreburritosforgodsake]

I’m a positive person and try to make the best out of things, count my blessings etc, but it really is the most depressing month…cold, wet, quiet, no money..just so blah.
I don’t mind staying in, have put fairy lights, candles, pjs and throws..still crap
Think it’s more the money and weather, just getting by, the most excitement being taking the dog for a walk and making lasagna. Dd asking for zoo, cinema, soft play and takeaways..just not happening this month

How to make Jan-well-Jan-March better?!

Does anyone actually prefer these months? I remember a brilliant year pre Dd where we went ski ing and then to Thailand just to escape it, no option for that these days 😅

Personally, I hate the cold and I hate the dark but I try to remember that it has a purpose and it's nicer to have seasons rather than live somewhere constantly hot, like some of my friends do.
Keep embracing it op. Find out if there are any free events in your area.
Do you have cheap kids cinema on Sunday mornings? Free farm? Does the library do any events?
Otherwise, it'll have to be some good books from the library (I read Harry Potter to my dc one winter), movie nights at home, baking and winter walks. We would feed the birds in our garden and take some oats to the duck pond.

It's the going back to work after time off and not being be to go out and exercise in the brief windows of no rain and wind that does for me!!

I quite like January.

I like walks when it’s crisp and bright, but also even when it all looks a bit bleak and overcast. Can be quite spooky and romantic. The weather I don’t like is rain, so as long as that holds off.

I think it’s the lack of money that can make it crap, and if that’s an issue in Jan it can be really depressing.

Buying experience gifts for you/ your DH if you have one/ kids for Christmas can be a good way to make Jan fun, if they’re things you can do in Jan. And obviously taken from Christmas budget not January’s!

I sometimes like to get down to the sea (sea is down for us) in Jan as it can be so beautiful.

The cosiness factor is good but I can hear it’s not doing it for you - I think you need to have gone out someone first for cosiness to be fun!

We are enjoying The Traitors on telly which helps - having something to look forward to on telly always helps! Or can you stretch to downloading a good film for film nights if the cinema is too pricey?

Fair point! The work aspect can be a pain unless you enjoy work or have something good in.

I’m keeping January slow paced. There’s no pressure to do alot socially so I’m taking the opportunity to hibernate in the evenings. It’s given me time to get my workouts in and then I can unwind.

Seeing it get a little lighter in the evenings is making me happy too.

See, I love a bit of fog, that clammy mysterious swirl, especially in the dark. It probably helps that I live in a rural and pretty village and have the benefit of the smell of woodsmoke and a floodlit church spire to enjoy.

I hate driving in the fog.

@cardibach maybe you should just cut your losses and emigrate somewhere hot if it makes you so sad and miserable.

🥳

Nope I hate it too I would happily hibernate until the 1st of March. Too cold, too poor, too dark. I’m a teacher and the children have been off the wall coming back this week, forgotten how to sit in a circle.

I love January 🥰
The light is so beautiful on sunny days. I love cold weather and winter fashion is so much better than summer sweaty clothes.
There is zero expectation to do anything and go anywhere. It’s a month to contemplate and have slow and cosy days/evenings.
The sales are on so you can cheer yourself up by getting something you have been eyeing for a while. Days are getting longer.
It’s quiet and things are slowly moving towards spring.
I take January over July and August any day.

Today getting off the bus, just a 10 minute walk and I was freezing! It felt dangerously cold. I worry for all those poor people sleeping on the streets, you could die in this weather. I don't remember it being this cold in January for a long time. Can't wait until it warms up again.

Apart from going to work, I'm hibernating and mainlining Christmas chocolates and The Traitors. Fuck Winter!

Well put. I feel exactly the same. Insane Christmas spending and expectations are thankfully over and we can relax.
Sales in the shops.
Spring is on the air, days are getting longer.
The big plus for me is also my birthday end of the month and a perfect excuse for a week of winter sun.

I watched my local football team mash a higher league team in the FA Cup tonight. It was -4c, my nose froze. We live in a country that has seasons, enjoy.

'Spring is in the air' - really? Really? The temperature is in minus figures during the day here and I'm certainly not noticing the days getting longer. Cold and dark when I get up and cold and dark when I get home.

Hope springs eternal

The massive plus for me is that I am about to turn 66. Finally qualify for my state pension and bus pass.

I get SAD but February is usually when it bites (after too much winter!!)

things that I try / might help:

• SAD light
• burning scented candles when I work from home to pretend I’m in a spa 😂 always ask for some at Christmas
• booking a holiday - have just booked 5 days in Italy with DC in Feb half term. Cheap flights and air bnb
• Theatre and cinema trips (use discount sites and papering agencies)
• reading more
• making wishlists for telly, books and travels for the year
• walks in daylight, even just round the park. Prefer blue cold days to oppressive grey or wet ones
• with little ones, had great outdoor forest style playgroup would go to once a week, was super cheap as run at a children’s centre
• snowdrops from mid Jan - love Anglesey Abbey and go every year, they do a kids trail
• decent thermals and pocket warmers,
• pastries and hot chocolates
• walks around a frozen lake throwing ice onto the ice (makes a crazy noise!)
• walking on a frozen massive puddle, kids still talk about it years after
• burns night - we do haggis dinner, a family ceilidh is fun too
• Lunar New Year - loads of free activities
• light trails - some free ones in London pop up
• use any indoor memberships we have
• soft play / badminton at local gym
• family games night

still effing hate it but gets me through

I love January. I think it’s my favourite month. It’s such a chilled month of nothingness.
The light changes. It’s a new beginning, the clutter of Christmas has gone, the shortest day is long gone and with each passing day it stays a little bit lighter for a little bit longer.

@cardibach yes I understood it could be a rhetorical question I was just being silly. Cardiff, lovely I didn't get to visit there.

In a serious note, I do get why people don't like winter it's not for everyone and can be depressing. Summer makes me feel anxious and I really don't do well in anything over 18, bloody menopause

About 20 years ago I realised I had SAD. It went beyond hating the cold, damp days and very early sunsets and by January I would be struggling badly. February was very tough.
Before kids I always booked my main holiday of the year for end December/January, usually to the southern hemisphere where I’d be guaranteed sunshine and heat. Can’t do that anymore so for the past few years I’ve done the following to keep my mental health on track:
Dry January, because it helps my mood.
Early nights.
A good walk every day, rain or shine, with the dog.
Four gym sessions a week, mixing cardio and weights. I am religious about this because again, it helps my mood hugely.
Book a night out/nice restaurant for mid-January. Something to look forward to.
I got a SAD lamp and it does help.

We leave the fairy lights, nativity sets and Christmas cards up until Candlemas (2nd February). The house still feels cosy and twinkly without quite so much extra clutter as during Christmas!

We're feeling a somewhat poorer this January as my husband was made redundant just before Christmas, so we're making a particular effort to count our blessings, to keep ourselves cheerful and content.

We live in a very tree-dense area, so notice beautiful extra views at this time of year. I love that the days are already getting longer, and we enjoy looking out for the first snowdrops.

The birds are easy to attract in mid-winter, so having a bird feeder within sight of the kitchen window gives us lots of happy moments watching the birds.

We make the most of blankets, hot water bottle, hot chocolate, and even outdoor treats like the fire pit, and hot picnics breaking up chilly walks.

We celebrate 12th Night and Epiphany, then mark Plough Monday by going for a walk near a farm, then have a Wedding Anniversary later in the month, then celebrate Candlemas on 2nd February, so the month is broken up by happy occasions.

We also try to invite friends around more often for meals - people are less busy than in December, and it's a happy way to pass the evenings without adding much expense.

The last couple of years I have tried to embrace January. Have a few things in my diary, and enjoy the calm (although I do love December and Christmas).

We have freezing fog to look forward to tomorrow. Can't wait for that.

^

🤣