Why are we all so depressed in January?

Well probably because everyone keeps telling us we should be! Its all over the media and social media, the "post christmas slump", retails sales figures slipping, Blue Monday ....... allegedly the most depressing day of the year......but why?? Ok, so we overindulged a bit over the festive season, sat around for a few days, likely ate too much, probably drank more than we normally would, left ourselves a few pounds heavier than we were, and argued with the family.......but when you think about it you probably do much the same on your annual summer holidays and you come back from those relaxed and refreshed! So why is it that January is such a chore, why is it so tempting/easy to give in to the media spin and feel like the biggest miserable moaner in the world? Could it be the weather? Granted, after a summer holiday you dont tend to come back to cold and rain.......well of course we live in the UK, so it is a distinct possibility..... but you will be carrying around the remnants of memories of lying on the beach or doing something epic in the sunshine, after the festive break what are we carrying around? OH yes, Resolutions!!! Every year we set ourselves up to start the year with an impossible list of things to do on January the 1st, be it get, fit, loose weight, give up smoking/alcohol, join ba gym, go running, look like Claudia Schiffer by february etc,etc..... and how long does it last, a week ....two...... sorry Claudia but most of us have given up and passed ourselves off as a dead loss before we even get to go back to work, by Blue monday only the hardiest are still going....... so basically we end the festive season and start the new year felling like the worlds biggest and slightly sluggish failure. Now, obviously this is very much a cultural thing, fairly logical to assume that by the time we realise what is actually going on then we can change it .....but and its a BIG BUT.......change requires effort and will power and as we have just established, by not fulfilling your resolutions for the new year, most of us are woefully short on that! Sooooo what are we to do? Do we just melt away into our own personal rabbit hole of self derision and misery, do we buy into the whole sorry miserable January with its blue mondays and seventeen thousand weeks till payday? OR do we get up, kick our own backsides......careful you don't fall over if you physically try this... and get out and start finding what actually drives you, what is YOU all about? what do you want to be/do/have? I actually love January, this is a new thing....I am not a jogger or a fitness fanatic, but i do love a sunrise and in January you don't even have to make an effort to get up particularly early to see one, I love the colours in a frosty morning sky, and that special kind of glitter that the sun makes on crisp frosted grass and trees. Simple things. So my solution to the resolution debate and the whole depressed January is not to set any resolutions, start the year with a virtual blank page to do what you enjoy. Have a change of mindset, start taking a positive leap of faith that you will be the best you that you can this year. Make a pact with yourself that you will keep your head above water, get outside and challenge yourself to do things that you haven't done before, if you want to, be present in your life, be conscious every day to find one thing that made you smile, made you happy or better still gave you a good deep belly laugh. It doesn't have to be a big thing, just one thing that made you smile- do this every night before you sleep and i can guarantee that you will wake up every day filled with a whole new perspective on life, you will look a million dollars and feel fantastic, and all those miserable grumpys around you will be hammering down your office door to find out what health kick/system/guru you are following ......at that point you can take great pleasure in telling them that you are just quite happily enjoying being you......because that is enough.