5 Top Tips to beat those January Blues when heading back to work

What’s that noise? that my friend is the end of the Christmas Holidays and what you can hear is the harsh reality of your 6am alarm crashing you back into work mode.

Long gone are duvet days and binge watching the likes of The Holiday, Love Actually and Die Hard, no more chocolate for breakfast and over indulgent cheese boards, it’s time to pack up those turkey, stuffing sandwiches pop them in tin foil and get back to work. Ladies and gents please welcome the January blues.

I know, I know it’s like discovering the truth about Santa Claus all over again, but it doesn’t have to be this way, you can beat them and here’s how:

Get Organised

If like myself, you have been unable to hibernate until the 4th Jan don’t look at this as a negative it’s a perfect time to get yourself organised. Typically, a lot of places are closed still that you would usually deal with and half of your office peers are at home enjoying their extra few days. This means you have something we all dream of ‘quiet time’ ooo the bliss.

So, by heading into the office early it allows you to complete those niggly little tasks you just never get around too that plague the back if your mind. You will free up so much thinking space once those pesky tasks are out of the way. Also, if you are super quiet clear your desk, get rid of all those unneeded papers that are clogging up your paper tray, throw away all that rubbish that’s hiding in your bottom draw, tidy desk, tidy mind.

If heading into the office early isn’t an option for you just set yourself aside a few hours on arrival to get everything together. You aren’t sacrificing anything by preparing yourself if anything you are ensuring your transition back to work runs smoothly.

Read our article here about setting new year’s resolutions and getting more organised for the year ahead, it might help.

Timing is everything

Have you ever had one of those days where everything goes wrong? Usually it begins because you woke up a little later than you should have, next minute you are bulldozing round the house you can’t find the iron, the dog has hidden your shoes and then you think someone is playing games with you when you hit every single red light on the drive to work.

So, at this point you are miffed, you are 10 minutes late, you think your boss hates you, your first presentation to the board may as well of been a game of Pictionary presented by your drunken Aunt and you finish your day longing to go home and cry yourself to sleep. This is known as the domino effect and it happens to everyone so don’t worry. But instead of allowing those dominoes to fall there needs to be a little tough love here and unfortunately, I may sound like your mother but get yourself prepared the night before. Get your clothes ready, shoes ready, prepare your breakfast and lunch but most importantly wake up on time DO NOT SNOOZE that alarm because trust me once one thing goes wrong everything else will follow, don’t be a domino.

Set some Goals

It sounds cliché to set yourself New Year’s Resolution and there are a few cynics out there that aren’t believers of the trusty New Year pact but fear not a new study has found that New Year’s Day helps us to dissociate from our older ‘negative’ selves it’s known as the fresh start effect and it leads to more people following through on their goals as it allows them to leave the past behind and look forward to success.

Whether your new goal is work related or it’s on the personal side you are providing yourself with a direction for the future giving yourself a path of where you want to be and what you want to achieve. By doing this you will find it surprisingly motivating and exciting giving you a little boost to look forward to the year ahead. Green and Blacks founder Josephine Fairley sets herself a new goal each year and it’s never hurt her.

Eat Good, Look Good, Feel Good

I know, I know you are feeling about as active as an unlit left over Christmas Pudding and the thought of exercise makes you sad but getting up and getting active is one of the best things you can do. Exercise releases mood boosting endorphins, I tell you what isn’t a mood boosting endorphin when you can’t do up your jeans after stuffing your face for 2 weeks and as much as you try to ignore it it can get you down adding to those blues you are feeling.

Exercise will help defeat this, not only will you feel better you will be one step closer to shifting those excess Christmas pounds. There’s no need to head back to the office feeling sluggish and a little sorry for yourself get out and about in the cold and have a little walk you don’t have to hit every single class at the gym just a 30-minute brisk walk in the great outdoors will leave you feeling fabulous.

In order to feel even better though this also applies to what you eat, if you are anything like myself you have consumed as much food as you can possibly fit in your belly because “it’s Christmas” but now your left feeling lethargic and it’s tempting to bury your sorrows under piles of junk food but DON’T DO IT! The junk food isn’t going anywhere what you need now is a dose of some mood boosting foods containing B vitamins to boost serotonin levels and Omega 3 fatty acids which lift depression.

Don’t get caught up in everyone else’s blues

Yes, most people are a little sad about the holidays being over and they will grumble and whine whilst hitting up the coffee machine like it’s going out of fashion but instead of joining in and reinforcing that negative energy remove yourself and instead be positive. Walking into a negative environment and thinking negatively will only cause you to become sad and stressed. But if you swap it for a bit of positive thinking it will surprise you how quickly you will squash the blues. Instead of focusing on the bad think about all the plans you want for 2017, where you want to see yourself, what you want to do, where you want to go and be positive. You will be very surprised at just how much a positive mental attitude can help you, you aren’t going to get what you want by being a gloomy gus are you?

Now you have the tools to feel that little bit better going back to work let us know how you get on or if you have tips of your own share them with us over on Twitter @CaunceOHara or on Facebook facebook.com/caunceohara.co.uk

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