Below, Richard Holmes, Director of Wellbeing at Westfield Health, discusses with Lawyer Monthly how to beat the January blues and maintain motivation throughout the remainder of the year.
The first few weeks back at work can be significantly challenging for employees at any level in an organisation. Christmas cheer is well and truly a distant memory, money is running dry, and it’s usually cold and grim outside.
Though these contributing factors might result in us feeling gloomy during January, there are a number of things that can be incorporated into a daily routine to beat the blues and increase motivation.
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Set goals
If January feels like it’s going to last a lifetime, setting small and achievable goals can help to break it up and maintain motivation.
It could be as little as walking to work one day a week, reading a book instead of scrolling through apps before bed, or setting a specific achievement to reach at work.
Think of realistic goals that are practical to continue after January to make it easy to keep on track, create healthy habits and boost motivation.
Think of realistic goals that are practical to continue after January to make it easy to keep on track, create healthy habits and boost motivation.
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Exercise regularly
Adopting a healthy lifestyle where the changes that are made have a visible result can impact other areas, and January is a great month to start.
Incorporating regular exercise into a routine will help to trigger positive feelings due to the release of endorphins. Once results start becoming clear, it can aid motivation, proving that you can reach your goals.
It doesn’t need to be marathon training either, anything from walking to yoga will have an impact.
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Make plans
January is a long month with renowned bad weather and dark skies, and it can feel like the month is never going to come to an end. It’s important to maintain a healthy work life balance throughout the year, but this can be challenging in the first few weeks back at work.
This is the perfect time of year to plan ahead and book dates with friends and family in the diary so that there’s always something to look forward to.
This is the perfect time of year to plan ahead and book dates with friends and family in the diary so that there’s always something to look forward to.
Whether it’s booking a dream holiday or simply getting ideas for a day out, this will help to reduce stress and maintain focus throughout the first month of the year.
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Don’t go overboard
For many, January is a month of change with most people setting themselves at least one New Year’s resolution. However it can be difficult and even unrealistic to maintain dramatic lifestyle changes.
Completely removing the odd chocolate treat or glass of wine can result in crashing and failing, which can make the January blues even worse with increased stress following a binge. To maintain motivation and keep stress to a minimum, it’s important to include the occasional treat to enjoy every now and then without the guilt.
