It’s January.
Tinsel has all been put back in the loft, glittery jumpers are met with stern reminders that Christmas is over with (sparkles are not just for Christmas is my standard response to this!) and the last of the twiglets and remaining quality street have been eaten. Yes, even the toffee and coconut ones.
The weather is grim, and the cries of let it snow have been replaced with horror at the idea of grey slush and icy weather.
It’s been approximately a zillion weeks since you were paid and your next payday still seems years away.
And finally your resolutions to get super fit and lose half your body weight have been defeated as you’d rather stay in bed than try to hit the gym in this weather, and of course the quality street needing finishing off.
Welcome to blue Monday, officially the most depressing day of the year!
But only if you want it to be.
This year, I’m choosing to turn blue Monday into a happy Monday. Yes, it’s January. Yes, snow is apparently on the way again. And yes, it’s still not payday!
But who’s going to let tiny inconsequential details like that stop them? Not me!
I’m going to make my Monday happy, because that’s what I prefer. I won’t be drinking wine to celebrate it, because I’m doing dry January (which is also making me happy!) but I am going to chose to do a few things to make my day brighter:
1. I’m going to go for a walk. In fact, I’m going to walk my littlest boy to school. Even if it snows! I’ll feel good for some fresh air and exercise so it’s on my list.
2. I’m going to cook something nice to eat, because I like cooking, and I like eating nice food. I haven’t decided what yet but plenty of time to sort it out!
3. I’m going to bake a cake. Just because I like cake, and the kids like cake, and it will be a nice post gym treat tomorrow night.
As the Dalai Lama says, the purpose of our lives is to be happy. It’s nice to be reminded of that sometimes I think.
So my challenge to you is to make your Monday a happy one too. Do something that feels like a treat, something nice, or something fun. You totally deserve it.
PS Happiness isn’t just for this Monday...so prioritise the things you know will make you feel good in the longer term as well as the short term.