How to Pre-Empt the January Blues

14 Jan

We all know the rhythm:

December can often be a non-stop flurry of work and life-laundry
Maybe we collapse after Christmas (although I think that holiday is always busier than any work week)
Then January hits with a strange cocktail of grey skies, tighter waistbands, and ambitious resolutions
and the quiet dread of “what happened to New Year, New You Me and where did my enthusiasm for that go?”

January can feel heavy because everything arrives at once... weather, overdraft, dark days (did I mention I’m a Summer baby?)

So that’s why this year I’m not going to wait for January to “start again.”

I’m going to pre-empt any January blues that might be heading my way. Or at least stave them off at the pass.

If you want to soften the landing too, then start easing into the year now, gently and intentionally, long before champagne or sparkling apple juice corks pop.

Some practical ways to pre-empt the blues:

1. Plan something future-focused before the holidays.

A course, a workshop, a networking chat, a new project, a curiosity to explore. Having something energising waiting for you in early January changes the emotional weather.

2. Do a light reflection now, not later.
What worked this year? What drained you? What felt exciting? Don’t turn it into a dramatic life audit; small clarity beats big overwhelm. I find this works best over a meal with a loved one outside of the house.

3. Make early January more spacious.
Avoid loading the first week with pressure. Ease yourself back in rather than launching into “new year, new you” intensity.

4. Reconnect instead of reinventing.
Reach out to two or three people in December. Ask for perspective, not opportunity. A warm conversation in January can feel like sunlight. In fact, see if you can make those conversations outdoors in the fresh air. Even better!

5. Choose a skill to grow - not a resolution.
I find resolutions are guilt-magnets. Skills are momentum. Pick something tiny and enjoyable. Curiosity is far kinder than self-improvement pressure.

6. Give yourself permission to rest now.
Rest in December isn’t indulgent - it’s strategic. January looks different when your nervous system has exhaled. If a nervous system can do such a thing. You know what I mean.

And finally:

7. Don’t frame January as a cliff edge.
It’s not a restart. It’s simply the next page in a story you’re already writing.

Instead of waiting for motivation to appear on 1st January, create small momentum now.

Nothing dramatic.
No spreadsheet of promises to your future self.
Just one or two intentional steps that give January a shape, a spark, a sense of welcome.

Because when you enter the year with purpose - not panic - there’s far less room for the blues to settle in.

Start gently now. Future-you will be grateful.

And breathe….

Tracy