The lights of the end of the year have faded, instead the days are gray and the mood is gloomy. You hardly want to step outside the door and prefer to crawl away. Maybe you don't have to, because there is a lot to do in the house to combat the winter slump.
We really enjoy ourselves around the holidays. But with the new year, life becomes more sober again. The LED light chains go back into the boxes, everyday food is put back on the table. It will be weeks before spring puts an end to the cold, wet and dark.
It is therefore not surprising that the mood drops slightly in January and February. But you don't have to put up with it. Because we often have it in our own hands to feel better - at least a little. Here are some ideas:
Get an overview of your own values
Make a conscious decision to take time for yourself. "Instead of moping around, the beginning of the year can be a good opportunity to sort yourself out and review your own catalog of values," says Nina Steffens, systemic coach in Berlin.
It can look like this: Sit on the sofa with a cup of coffee or tea, wrapped in a warm blanket and write down on a piece of paper which values in life are really important to you. Maybe then it says: friendship. Or: love. But maybe also tolerance, fairness, charity, further development.
In the next step, ask yourself whether you give the values you wrote down enough priority in life or whether they get lost in the stress of everyday life. And you may decide to make a change. For example, to cultivate friendships more in the future. "Anyone who pays more attention to their own priorities makes themselves more satisfied," says Nina Steffens.
Tidying up and sorting out - also outdoors
Tidying up is good not only inside, but also in your own home. So you can plan to sort out everything you no longer need. And what charities and other people are happy about.
By tidying up at home, you consciously create the basis for a new beginning, which leaves less room for a possible low mood. And looking into a tidy wardrobe or kitchen cupboard just feels good.
Set out plans and goals - but realistically
Another way to counteract a low mood: "Make plans and set goals," advises Fiona Waltraud Berle. She is a life coach for personality development in Munich and Stuttgart. Plans and goals bring fresh impetus to everyday life. At least if they can be done. If you don't focus on the deficits, but instead focus on the opportunities, you can motivate yourself even better.
If you want to lose weight, it is better not to draw attention to the fact that some culinary delights are now missing. Instead, you become aware of the positive side of the project - that over time you will feel fitter, healthier and more balanced.
"You can set yourself a new goal every day," says Fiona Waltraud Berle. This can become a little ritual. Look yourself in the mirror in the morning and ask yourself: What can I do for you today to make you feel good? "This raising of awareness helps to ensure that one's own needs and desires are not lost in everyday life, but are strengthened in favor of more contentment and balance," says Berle.
The classics: movement and daylight
However, being in yourself too much is not a good idea either. "You can't just meditate all the time, that's counterproductive," says Fiona Waltraud Berle. In order to feel good and stay healthy, there is no way around the classics of exercise and daylight. The walk during the lunch break, for example, the regular jog, sitting on the balcony for a quarter of an hour with a hot coffee. "When the dark, cloudy days encourage the January blues, a good daylight lamp can sometimes help," says Nina Steffens.
If Fiona Waltraut Berle has her way, believing in yourself can counteract the January blues. If you are convinced that the cold, dark and wet weather at the beginning of the year will not harm you, you may well let it roll off right from the start. "Such faith can move mountains."
Revive childhood hobbies
You can also ensure moments of well-being on dreary days if you remember what you used to spend hours with as a child. "This creates a good connection between today and then in one," says Nina Steffens. And maybe it's still really good today to dig out the colored pencils or the drawing pad again.
celebrate anticipation
Looking forward in the morning to going to yoga in the evening, meeting your best friend or watching an exciting film. Anticipation lets us go through everyday life more exhilarated. Advent was a time of hope and anticipation - for Christmas. You can also apply this principle to January and February. By making a spring calendar instead of an advent calendar, as Berle advises. "In the end, only spring drives away winter. Make spring yourself."
For a spring calendar, you write down on a piece of paper every day what you find good about yourself. Or what to be thankful for. Or what plans you have. Then hang the note on the wall every day and decorate it nicely if necessary. "Anyone who does that inevitably gets into a good mood," says Berle.
