Feeling Depressed? How To Beat The Blue Monday Blues

emhaze222 (60)in #writing • 8 years ago (edited)

The third Monday of January is called the saddest day of the year, also known as Blue Monday and that’s today, 16th January 2017.

Christmas is over, we have packed up all over decorations, we are back to work and “back to reality”, and made and broken a few New Year's resolutions.

You are not alone. Millions of people will be feeling exactly how you are.

However all is not lost. Lets use this feeling as an emotional springboard to set new realistic goals (not New Year’s Resolutions) that I know you can smash.

Try working through the 7 steps below to help improve them Blue Monday Blues

Make or review your weekly/monthly/yearly budget.

This can assist you in regaining control after any Christmas and New Year splurges and planning the next few months out. Maybe you want to go on holiday, maybe you want to move house and save up a deposit or maybe you want to be able to go out with friends and you want to see if and how affordable it is. If you are unsure of how to budget there are tools like ynab (www.youneedabudget.com) to assist you with your budget.

Set Realistic Goals/New Years Resolutions.

Are your goals S.M.A.R.T?

Smart goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Timed

If you set a goal stop smoking from the 1st January, you may have had a sneaky cigarette (or two) already. But don’t worry, all is not lost. Obviously going cold turkey is not a realistic approach for you. Instead try cutting down to 1 a day, then 1 every other day, then 2 a week, then to none a week. If you do it slowly, you are less likely to feel the huge loss and won’t be such a shock to the system.

Break your goal down into small bite size pieces, this will help you feel less overwhelmed and give you the motivation to achieve your goal.

Many of us set materialistic goals, thinking that will make us happy. But the goals we should set are “feeling goals”. Goals to be happy, fulfilled, contented etc.

My primary goal for this year is to find out what makes me truly happy. How or what I have no idea but I am going to try different things and gather as much data as possible. It’s very exciting. I am going to keep a log of everything I do and analyse how I feel about each thing. It’s going to be like a Gratitude journal, but a Happiness Journal.

Start moving.

I’m not going to suggest you spend hours in the gym every day however I do suggest walking (or running) in nature several times a week. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week however I feel like I need to readdress my exercise routine. I’d like to spend more time walking my dog in the park or at the beach. He loves it and they’re such a nice beautiful places to be.

Re-address your eating habits.

Don't worry I’m not going to tell you to eat a salad, all I suggest is that you look at what you are putting into your body and ask yourself “do I need to eat that or do I want to eat that?” They are two very different questions with two very different answer in my opinion. Eating high calorie meals isn’t going to benefit you long term. Try and have a balance.

Meditation (or prayer, depending on your religious beliefs)

Beginning and ending your day with a 10-20 minute prayer or meditation is a great way to start your day. You can set the intention of no matter what is going to happen, that today is going to be a good day and you can overcome anything that comes your way. You will be surprised how good you feel.

Surround yourself with positivity.

This can mean several things; look at your friendships, are they loving and empowering ones or are they fuelled by gossip and negativity? Do you leave the interaction with your friends feeling uplifted or feeling a little low and unsure of yourself. Cut out all gossip, remember, what goes around comes around.

Every morning, watch some inspirational and funny videos. This is a great way to start the day.

PLEASE WATCH THESE EVERY DAY FOR A MONTH AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU FEEL ANY DIFFERENT. I'D BE SURPRISED IF YOU DIDN'T.

Go On Laugh Daily! (G.O.L.D)

How often do you have a right old belly laugh? I can say from experience that it isn’t very often. It’s easy to get wrapped up in life's little challenges and we forget to see the hilarity in a situation.

If you need a quick pick me up watch the following: