Recently, a short post about the most depressive month of the year got viral among my friends. In this text, you can find arguments behind a particular statement and also a piece research. The author shares a few links (link1, link2, link3). Based on the five content, the conclusion is: January can be the most depressive month of the year because all of the proposed arguments seem to be true.
And the weird thing is that most of my friends have agreed with this statement… but not because of the argumentation presented in the text, but just by basing the opinion on their recent feelings.
I was so confused with this, as for me January is definitely one of the best months of the year! So, I decided to find out personal reasons behind it.
First of all, I am lucky to live in a country where it is possible to feel the “real” winter — see and play in the deep snow! At the same time, I am also lucky enough to be a digital nomad. This allows me to leave the coldness behind whenever I want — by traveling to any warm country I feel like visiting.
Therefore, I would not agree that January is depressive just because it is during winter. It is a matter of personal preference whether one likes snow, shorter days or lower temperature. Changing the environmental conditions in one day to suit our mood is rather impossible, but you can always try to adjust your surroundings as much as possible.
Also, if your winter holidays happen to be in December/January — make sure to plan the days off ahead! We all love the spirit during these days, giving and receiving presents, but often forget to make the most of our free time. Also, these are some of the rare days during the year when you can really be one on one with your thoughts and dreams. Use the end of the passing and the beginning of the new year to plan the better you!
I love this time of the year. For me, it is very often the only month when my crazy momentum slows down a bit and when I do not feel like a Fast & Furious character... When I can “take my time”. And I try to never neglect this opportunity… By making a big cup (or two!) of good coffee. By taking a look over the course of the past year and drawing some conclusions. Where I was. What I planned. How I achieved my goals and where I failed. Even scrolling through my social media timelines (Facebook — thank you for the “Year in Review” feature, it is always fun!) and bringing back the good memories makes me smile. They fill me with positive energy to work towards even better memories in the year to come. They stoke up my desires, remind me of things left undone, inspire and encourage me.
It is definitely a precious time for me. And also the perfect one to make notes…
And then… after the holidays have ended, and I am quite tired of the days off, but feeling rested from work… After I have spent a lot of fun time with family and friends, I feel so eager to kick off the things on my fresh list of New Year resolutions.
So, for me, January is a month of clearing my mind and big plans. I try to spend it on narrowing down the number of ideas I have for the next eleven months; sometimes, it is simply a matter of modifying some of them.
For instance, I am still afraid of insects, so I probably will not go to any wilder parts of Thailand, but instead, I may choose some other regions of Asia to visit (recently, I was traveling mostly to urban areas in the USA).
I had also bought a new camera during holidays — and instantly put “start taking awesome pictures” on my list. However, getting through January, I realized it is actually not that simple, and it requires some practice… so I have modified this bullet point to “complete a photography course”!
It is quite difficult to visit your favorite gym with all the traveling in progress. Last year, I canceled my membership. Instead, I tried to start morning running on the Canary Islands, did some hiking in Colorado, walked a lot while exploring new cities, but was constantly missing my sports routines. That is why for January I had a goal to find a selection of good online training programs and pick a routine for the nearest month and beyond. I tried a few different courses that offer trial periods and picked a perfect combo for me.
So, sometimes you will stick to the first thing that comes to your mind and put it on your list, sometimes you will have to adjust the plans a little bit. Do not treat this action as an act of abandoning the big milestone: very often, it is all about realizing you first need to learn how to walk, and only then you can learn how to fly!
January! Thank you for being the most inspiring month of the year! Thanks to you, I know where I am and what I am going to explore in the next months to come!
Side note — re-reading five-years-old “end of year notes” is quite interesting.