There are so many reasons that I find January to be a depressing month. It’s cold. It’s dark. It’s post-holiday. You get the idea. But I have felt so happy the past couple of days to finally be out of the January blahs. In February I start to get my motivation back and generally have a much sunnier outlook on everything.
The past few days or so I’ve been thinking about the resolutions I set for myself at the beginning of the year. I haven’t done a lot with them. Yet. I’m not disappointed. I knew this would happen, given the sluggishness I feel at the beginning of the year. Going into the new year, I knew February would be a much better month to start putting my resolutions into practice.
However, I know that I have to take things one step at a time. I am one of those people who is constantly plagued by grand plans. And I have so many things that I’d like to work on that if I try to do it all now, I’ll become so overwhelmed that I’ll throw in the towel on everything. This year, much like last year, I’m choosing to focus on one thing at a time to hopefully create long lasting habits.
In addition to creating some healthier habits, I’ve also been thinking about ways that I can change my general attitude. This began with deciding to read Learned Optimism, by Martin Seligman, which helped me a lot in challenging my pessimistic thought processes. (Although, I have to admit, that I’m still really, really, really working on that one.) In addition, to being more optimistic, I’m choosing to say “yes” more, lighten up A LOT, and put more effort into being a better conversationalist.
I’m hoping that focusing on these things over the next several months will make me feel happier and healthier, and that starting in February, with the increasing sunshine and warmer temperatures, will help me stay motivated.
