January Blahs?

The month of January in a cold state like Minnesota can literally be mind numbing.  Usually, the temperature is so punishing, and venturing out is so fatiguing that just getting through the frigid day feels like an accomplishment. This year, however, we have been treated to a thaw that makes going outside a whole lot easier.  Now that a lot of the ice has melted and washed away, it is easier to face the day and the elements--except for all the gray skies....

No matter how we look at it, though, the month of January is post-holiday and pre-nothing just yet.  "Spring" is a ways away, and if there was a renewed commitment to health, happiness, work/life balance, weight loss, mindfulness--we can begin to feel a little sloppy.

It pays to have something good to look forward to....whether that is a nice dinner or a winter getaway vacation or a staycation or even a relaxing weekend to indulge in kindness and creature comforts like a massage or even an at-home spa day to lift the spirits.  My spirits were lifted today when a new location of my gym (Orange Theory) hosted free preview classes.  I got to see my friends and even ran into someone I worked with in DC thirty years ago.

This reminds me that we always need encouragement to keep up the good work.  We need that support that says we are doing well, making a good effort, and that we have plenty of reasons to keep going.  Otherwise,
the days, weeks and months all run together and feel the same which is very dull and uninspiring.

So, as the month of January ends, let's consider where we were when we started.  On a post-holiday sugar high?  On a post-holiday unfortunate weight gain?  On a post-holiday shifting mindset?  Wherever you find yourself, take stock and regroup.  We have one week of the January blahs to get through, and then when February rolls in, we can say the word "spring" like it might actually be coming up.  We can start thinking about longer days, a lot more sunlight because the worst of the winter will be behind us.

There is a time and season for everything.  Now is the time to persevere.  To get through.  To choose to emerge victorious.  To shift your mindset to the place where you find yourself at the center of your precious life, doing exactly what it takes, mostly right, most of the time.  That, my friends, is always enough.