Top 5 // Ways To Stay Motivated during the January Blues

It's come to that time of January where moods are at an all time low. Night creeps in without the gleaming twinkle of Christmas lights to boost spirits - could taking down the Christmas decorations be one of the sadness moments in your year? Definitely. The adrenaline that comes with the build up to Christmas; the bustling streets, the catch ups with childhood friends back home while sipping hot whiskeys and the flinging of any and all financial responsibility has come and gone. Now you're broke, you're probably a stone heavier from all the Roses - with a notably low number of coffee sweets in it this year *sigh* - and reality has sunk in that its, uhh, time to get back to reality.

So with all that in mind I wanted to share my Top 5 ways of how I stay motivated - - be that keeping up with my New Years Resolutions or even staying motivated when I get those "Can't be arsed" moods. Hopefully you find this list useful & if you want more tips check out my previous blog post on Blue Monday

1.) Have an Admin Hour:

Pick your day - mines Sunday - and get yourself organised for the week. I like to write my weekly goals and then my goals for the next day. I'll get things sorted for work the next day; uniform, prep my breakfast and make my lunch. I then take ten minutes out of every day to check in on how I'm getting on with my weekly goal and to plan the next day.

2.) Switch It Up:

Vital for me when it comes to working out. I'm not a gym bunny and prefer working out at home. However I do try to attend a group class once a week and also get out for some fresh air for a jog at least once a week. There was a time when I had a set routine - leg day, abs and arms day etc... but this bored me so quickly that I began to dread working out. By switching it up my love for working out has returned. I also love workouts on YouTube; Joe Wicks aka The Body Coach and Whitney Simmons are my go-to's for inspiration.

3.) Plan something;

Back to planning LOL.
Honestly though, one way to get out of a January slump is to plan something; be that a trip abroad, a weekend away with the boyfriend or your best friends or EVEN a solo trip. I find this works a treat because it takes your mind off your current situation - see the aforementioned cold, broke and feeling like a beached whale - and onto brighter (literally) and more positive times.

Malta wouldn't be a bad shout for the summer! **Photo obtained from HelloMaltaTours

4.) Start something new:

They're called New Years Resolutions for a reason.

Life skills can come from lifestyle changes. You can change what you eat by learning how to cook healthier foods. You can change your physical health by learning what way you enjoy to workout. You can change negative thoughts by learning about self-belief and mindfulness. You can change your life by changing your lifestyle - and yes that sounds like a Pinterest quote, that's why I put it in italics.

Turns out an author called Joyce Meyer is on my same wave as she said "Don't expect your life to change if you aren't willing to change your lifestyle." She just said it a lot of assertive than me so you go Joyce, you bad bitch.


5.) Sleep better - because I can guarantee you're not

Ok ok ok, I understand that getting the required amount of sleep is not always possible. And my heart goes out to you - I see you, first time mothers - because winter tiredness is an actual thing that can lead to Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD). But note, I said sleep better, not get more sleep. And there are so many ways to improve your sleep. There are apps (sleepyti.me) that calculate what time to go to bed based on when you need to wake up and REM cycles. There's the fitbit that tracks your sleeping pattern. There's psychobiotics you can take (Zenflore) to aid your sleep and help minimise your stress**. There are even lamps to help you!! The human-version-of-a-hug-and-a-warm-cup-of-tea Doireann Garrihy recently hyped the beejaysus out of the Philips Wake-up Light and going by the reviews, it seems to be the diddies. She also mentioned this article by the Telegraph if you want to read more about wake-up alarm clocks.

The wake up light from Philips featured on Doireann's Instagram recently. Photo obtained from Google Images.

**I've heard incredibly positive things about Zenflore and you can read more about it here

Hopefully my tips help the pain that is January. And hey, if that didn't don't worry; there's little over a week left in January and then its on to Spring woo!!

Check me out on Instagram @ohhheyitsAimee for more shenanigans!

                                                                                                                                        Until next time...

Aimee♥