It’s easy to fall into the chat about how crap January is, innit? If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll be well versed with me wanging on about how this month has already been a bit of a struggle. The decs’ are down, the magic of Christmas is over – WHAT NOW?

I really didn’t want to kick off on a negative for my first blog post of the year but sadly, the reality is that the anticipation of Chapter 1, 2018 can be a really anxious time for many. For me, this year is going to be challenging to say the least. It’s going to be a real test of my drive, ambition and dedication on the work front – so I do totally understand the real pressures that this ‘new start’ can bring.

It’s fucking lonely too when you begin to think that the entire world has put their best foot forward while you’re sat there, unsure, uncertain and unsettled. More often than not, we tend to set the bar so high. From detoxes and diets to dry January, that whole ‘New Year, New You’ klaxon (OK, I admit, I have written about this more times than I care to remember for magazines, in the past) it just sounds way out of tune today.

Does it for you, too? (I mean, I’m STILL drinking Disaronno, FFS!)

Do not get me wrong, I am all for people making a fresh start and having a good clear out blah but my point is this, that pressure to flip into ‘new’ over night is a bit like the word ‘should’ – I don’t like it much because it’s heavy with expectation and indicates that you’ve already funked up before you’ve even started.

So, as I said up there somewhere – I really didn’t want to kick off 2018 on an entirely negative stance, hence the delay in me actually blogging anything on here!

I was so pissed off with January for all its expectations to turn over a new leaf and just be a happy dog that I honestly couldn’t bring myself to write about anything inspiring when I wasn’t feeling particularly inspired myself. I was quite content, bumbling about in my ‘jamas, still eating selection boxes, mince pies and stollen bites while everyone was chatting about diets and detoxes.  I didn’t feel I had anything ‘new’ or ‘exciting’ to bring to the New Year table…

Then, the next day I saw a dead squirrel. (Please stay with me. I promise there’s a point to this!)Poor little shit, I thought!

Plus, they always look like they’ve got SO much to do. Then there’s this poor dude, lying there, lifeless on the road, clutching his nut. (I said ‘his nut’)

Dead on duty.

And that’s when I thought, wait! I’ve got 11 months to squirrel around. If there’s ONE month in the year where I can slow down and gently ease into things, it’s January, innit!

And that’s when the happy penny dropped and my mindest shifted from feeling anxious and unsettled to slightly more relaxed and a little bit more… ready.

I thought about how so many of us get gifted gorgeous things at Christmas that we tend to just pop on the side or in the spare room for when we’ve got time to indulge. Whether it be a luxury beauty treat, a pair of new slippers or a scented candle. Carpe diem, I say. January is the time to just do it! You deserve it NOW! Burn it, baby! (The candle that is, not the slippers!)

So I did, and I am. The result is that I’m actually happier with the longer nights as I look forward to lighting my luxury (and middle-Aldi-aisle) candles in the evening.  January now is all about bingeing on Sky box sets and Netflix. (Watch The Sinner) It’s about relaxing in a deep bath fused with uplifting, essential oils. (You must try Tisserand’s Bath Oils)  Slap on a face mask then slather your pillows in sleep mist. (Download the Calm app, too. It’s so frickin’ brilliant!)

So be it that puddings for the next few weeks will still be stollen bites and Crissy cake. It’s wrong, in my opinion, to make us go mad filling up our festive trolleys to then chastise us for still having it hanging around in January! Waste not, want not, I say folks. And cram in tons of SLEEP too! The animals do it, so let the seasons be your guide. If you’ve got non-sleeping kids then try and be kind to yourself. Take that mid-day nap.

EVERYTHING can be dealt with if you’re well rested. (My first born didn’t sleep through until he was FIVE,  so I know how difficult it can be.)

This is why I really think it’s wrong for us to tell January to hurry up and jog on. I’m not saying ditch that diet or those resolutions to be a better you. It’s great to reflect, be aware and grow. In fact, THIS is exactly what January is for. Given the chance, you can really use this month wisely and well.

Already, I feel so much better about so many things on a professional and personal level. Tasks that I need to do are looked on now with ‘fresh’ eyes. (Even the dreaded tax return, gah! Actually, no!)

Yes, January is a long month, yes, it’s a long way to pay day but don’t wish the month away. The animals use it to hibernate and they’ve got it spot on. Shame about Mr Squirrel though, innit? Bet he wishes he was a hedgehog. On that note, I wish you all the happiness of a hibernating hedgehog. Wishing you all a very restful January – next stop is spring!

There you have it – this could be your BEST January to date! If you have any other tips you’d like to share, then you know the drill – just pop your comments below.

Thank you for reading.

F.T.