How Can I Feel Good?

The Christmas period is over and this can often trigger a low feeling. Whether it's because the Christmas high is over or it just didn’t match up to your expectations, January seems to cause a strain on us mentally. To help, we have come up with some of our best simple tips (we’ve tried to steer away from the obvious) so that you can beat the January blues. Here are Wǒ’s top tips :

1. Get Up For An Early Morning Walk

Whatever early is to you, that's fine. Getting up and out for some crisp fresh air will make the day feel longer, it will help you to feel more motivated for the day ahead and as a result more productive. Getting as much sunlight as possible increases the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused.

2. Read A Feel Good Book

This depends on your go-to genres but either dive into your absolute fave or pick out one that focuses on feeling good about yourself. Dedicate 30 mins per day to it, before bed time is when I would suggest to minimise digital screen time. This will help you wind down better for a well rested sleep.

3. Do What Makes You Happy

Do what you do when you're happy, even if you’re not. Ever heard of fake it till you make it? The Law of Attraction is the idea that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into someone’s life. You can train your brain that it's second nature to feel this way as imitating what makes you feel happy projects into real life.

4. Listen To Your Fave Playlist On Your Commute

Collate a playlist of the songs that make you feel most upbeat and motivated and make a second with songs that help you feel calm and relaxed. When needed, you can switch between these depending on how you want to feel. When we listen to music we enjoy, our brain releases the hormone dopamine which is associated with feelings of pleasure.

5. Set Achievable Goals

With the New Year comes the pressure and expectations to have and to stick to New Year’s Resolutions. Having a goal for a whole year can seem unachievable and daunting. Celebrating small wins can give you the motivation boost needed to keep going, set out smaller goals (however big and whatever length suits you is fine) to see the progression you’ve made more often. One way we enjoy doing this is by creating daily ‘Ta Da’ lists, this is where you form a list of everything you have achieved. On the other hand, you can also make a ‘To Do’ lists where you tick off as you go. You can decide which one works best for you!

6. Use A Journal To Empty Your Thoughts

Writing down things that stress you out or are on your mind will help you to stop overthinking them at night. This will help you to sleep better as it puts these challenges into perspective, decreasing distractions to fall asleep as your mind won't be keeping you awake and worrying.

7. Think Before You Act

Thinking things through thoroughly will help prevent small mistakes being made. This can be applied to so many aspects in life, thinking through your day will keep you organised and productive. But also in the sense of not reacting to things so impulsively. For example, thinking through your reply to a friend that might’ve upset you. Taking a mental deep breath to put things into perspective and prioritise your next steps will help you make good choices. 

Keep going as the end to winter is in sight. Longer and warmer days are not that far away now! Take care of yourself during these slower months and always turn to a friend, family member or doctor to talk about your thoughts and feelings - remember a problem shared is a problem halved!

Author - Lily Scales