'January Blues'... We have all heard the phrase before, but for many people January is a cold, stark reality and it goes without saying it's the most depressing month of the year (when you're in the UK anyway). 
So - here we are, it's the middle of January!  Now what?

It's very easy to feel down when you start focussing on all the things that are beyond your control or on the current hardships in your life.  Whether that's money worries, relationship struggles, health issues or feelings of inadequacy.  When you add in a cold, dark month and not a lot else, it's hardly a cocktail of joy!  In a way it's similar with a person.  Pick somebody close to you and start thinking of all the things you find annoying or disappointing - it doesn't take long for negative feelings to bed in.  Yet in contrast, if you start focussing on positive memories, what you appreciate about them and other wondrous attributes then suddenly it's a bit of a game-changer.

Sadly for a large proportion of the population, feeling low is part of an illness and has nothing to do with the time of year.  In fact, it's very likely that you know somebody who is suffering or perhaps you're in that position yourself.  There are various ways to get help and if you think it might be you, please be encouraged to take the first step.... talk to somebody you really trust.

​Wherever you are on the happy scale, the season may be bleak, but will you let your outlook be bleak?  Some of the best advice out there is to exercise self-care.  However much you might be drowning in workload or worries, purposefully take time out just to pause.  Can you find a moment in the day to just be?  What makes you happy?  For me, it is to venture outdoors (even if for a short while) and find something beautiful.  I find it always lifts my spirits, however small the moment.  The photo above was taken on a bleak, grey day in mid-winter yet there was still beauty to be discovered. 
What will you do in your moment of just 'being'?