Beating the January Blues
In 2004 physiologist Cliff Arnall coined the third Monday of January ‘Blue Monday’. To commemorate this day, I write this blog post in hopes to beat the label for a more positive start to the year…
The reality is that it’s cold, the days are still short and as seems to be the case every year, I find myself struggling with the idea that spring doesn’t break the moment Christmas is over.
However, as the years go on, the more I’m learning to embrace this season. I recently spent some time in Scandinavia soaking up Swedish and Norwegian culture; candle lit dinners, mid-afternoon Fika and books before screens. It was slow, cosy and refreshing.
I’m choosing to carry some of this into my January 2024. Here’s three ways I’m switching up my environment to help beat the January blues:
Plants plants and more plants
Originally a ‘countryside gally’, I crave green and the outdoors more than Birmingham City Centre can offer me. I love this concrete jungle I call home, but in the winter I find myself needing nature to get me through. As the pine needles drop from the (exceptionally dry) Christmas tree, I’ve got myself to our local garden centre to replace it with some fresh houseplants. Call me a millennial, but they really do help lift the January blues; bringing the outside in and having something to care for really does contribute to a happy mind.
Catch extra Z’S
Sleep is so important in making sure our bodies rest, giving us the best possible chance to thrive (we could go into an impressive research report about why sleep is important butttttt this is an interiors blog so pop over to the www.NHS for that).
I look forward to fresh sheet day anytime of the year, but in January why not treat yourself to a new set of linens. Whether it’s thread count or fun print that gets you excited for bedtime, why not freshen up the space you spend on average 56hrs of your week in. My choice this Jan is a crisp linen base with a wool throw for extra coziness. We have our top 5 sets in our insta highlights - check them out for some inspo!
Let it Glow, lighting
TURN OFF THE BIG LIGHT. One day I’ll do a blog post dedicated to this but if you’re a person that flicks that wall switch each evening - stop what you’re doing! Invest in a lamp or two - you don’t need to spend £££, pop to your local charity shop for the base and pop a warm white bulb in there.
Lamps in the home enhance our sense of wellbeing by providing warm, ambient lighting that creates a cozy and inviting atmosphere, positively influencing mood and comfort levels. Lamps we are loving are in the January blues highlight on Insta!
Happy 2024, let’s do this!
Becca x