Gender and Mental Health
December 12, 2017
CBT Group Courses – All You Need to Know
January 18, 2018
Feeling Blue?
January is usually considered a time of new beginnings, resolutions, and generally preparation for the next 12 months. Unfortunately, it’s also a period right after the Christmas holidays, and going back to trying to make the weekend last as long as possible before the first Monday morning of work arrives. You start to look back longingly at the nights snuggled up on the sofa with your family, watching Christmas TV, and wishing you were still there. Therefore, it’s easy to get the January Blues, especially if any of your newly forged resolutions have also quickly flown out the window and you aren’t looking out for your wellbeing.
The good side of this, is that you don’t have to let the January Blues win. Here at Psychology Wales we have some wellbeing tips for maintaining your wellbeing this year!
1. Get plenty of rest
Most adults require between 7-8 hours sleep in order to properly function in every day life, so make sure you’re getting those 40 winks. Try to avoid telling yourself ‘just one more episode’ on Netflix before shutting down for the night – we all know it’s never just one!
Getting a proper night’s sleep can bring a HUGE amount of benefits, including but not limited to; better concentration, more energy and a better mood when you wake up in the morning.
In order to encourage yourself to get into a sleep schedule, make sure you’re going to sleep roughly the same time each night and waking up at roughly the same time each morning, even on weekends. Make sure you also turn your mobile phone onto silent so that once you fall asleep you stay asleep. You could download an app to help with this – such as SleepCycle, which will help encourage a regular sleep pattern.
Speaking of technology, also make sure you aren’t using your devices directly before bed – this is more likely to keep you awake as it stimulates your brain. Try instead to read a book, watch some TV or write in your diary.
2. Practice mindfulness
Try and practice 10 minutes of mindfulness a day, and you’ll see heaps of benefits such as reduced stress, reduced anxiety, better sleep quality, calm mind and body for a greater sense of wellbeing and a reduction of negative feelings such as depression and anger.
A good way to consistently practice mindfulness is to download an app, such as Headspace. Another good way is to incorporate it into your daily routine, such as on the bus on the way to work.
3. Set short term goals that coincide with your longer-term ambitions
Sometimes it can be a little more difficult to stick to something if you feel like what you’re doing isn’t working out the way you had planned. A better way to combat this is to set goals that can be achieved in a short period of time. SMART goals are an effective way to help with setting and sticking to goals. These are goals that are; specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed. For example, maybe you set a goal to learn to play the guitar this year. Learning a new skill isn’t likely to happen overnight, so maybe set the goal that you would learn to play one chord a week until you get the hang of how to play.
4. Practice healthy eating
Encouraging healthy eating is a great way to start to improve your general wellbeing! We know that when we feel good physically we feel good mentally. Instead of reaching out for the crisps when you get home or getting a pastry from the local bakery, why not try a piece of fruit or eating more unprocessed foods?
5. Be your own cheerleader
When you wake up in the morning, think of at least one thing that’s great about you. It may be a good idea to write this down on a sticky note just to remind yourself how awesome you are!
6. Connect with people
Connecting with people that you feel close to and valued by is critical for promoting wellbeing. You can do this by trying something new such as; talking to someone rather than sending an email, speak to someone new, ask someone how their week has been and really listen to their answer, and put five minutes aside to find out how someone really is. You could also get involved in a local club or society as a way to branch out and connect with new people.
7. Exercise
There are many benefits to exercise and not just for your physical health. Benefits include; reducing depression and anxiety, improving psychological wellbeing. Why not incorporate some exercise into your new year goals?
What’s your favourite way to practice wellbeing when you’ve got the January Blues? Let us know!
Feel free to share this to your social media profiles if you found this helpful!
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