Navigating the January blues
Simple ideas to find joy as we get through the last stretch of winter
As I walked through the icy streets here in the Alpine region the other day, a squirrel darted ahead of me, clutching a big, round walnut with fierce determination. 🐿️ I have no idea where it found the nut (there aren’t any nut trees in our neighbourhood), but its excitement over the precious treasure was utterly contagious. The scene, as you can imagine, was just irresistibly cute.
A winter’s joyful memory and gift that keeps on giving aka making me smile, especially amidst all of the “Blue Monday” talk, the so-called most depressive day in the northern hemisphere.
You may already know this but if not: let me tell you, it’s a lie: this Blue Monday thing is a marketing ploy.1
Im totally with you, January drags on for the majority of us. We may have hit the deepest of lows after the highest sugar and festive peak so it’s no wonder we feel even more energy-depleted than usual. But framing an entire day as “the saddest” and January as “generally depressing” does us no favour, I’d say.
Instead of buying into this narrative, what if we leaned into what winter offers?
But first, why am I writing about January struggles and thriving?
Apart from the welcoming distraction of having a handful of family birthdays including my own throughout the month, I used to hate winter, and ignoring my significantly lower energy from December to March led to weeks of illness.
Growing up, I’d miss school for a long stretch each winter due to slow recovery from fever and chest infections. I’m so grateful though that I wasn’t rushed but given the space I needed to regain strength. I know most parents can’t afford having their kids at home for weeks at a time.
Last year, for the first time in a decade, I was forced to rest for a few weeks again and missed a fun work trip to Florida.2 I hit rock bottom being alone for that long and struggled to keep my sh*t together. Mentally, emotionally and of course physically it was tough.
Being sick in bed after having ignored my need for rest made me realise that:
The more we resist reality, the more we feel the pain.
Nothing new to this fact.
Conversely, when we lean into the present—whatever it brings—we begin to thrive.
Maybe not something we want to hear this long last stretch of winter, I get it. However, we all call ourselves open-minded, don’t we? I believe we are in a good place. ☺️
So, Please hear me out.
Long-time readers will know that I believe in the magic of seasonal living and winter invites us to rest, much like tulip bulbs beneath the snow-covered ground. I love imagining that beneath the apparent stillness of “dead soil,” life is quietly brewing, awaiting spring.
Mirroring nature, knowing that despite the darkness we are alive, thriving and not falling apart is an important mental shift, especially this time of the year.
Similarly, winter challenges us to trust the unknown and shift our perspective towards its gifts. In fact, embracing the simple act of reframing our experience through the power of language— a concept supported by neuroscientific research—can be profoundly transformative.
Surviving → flourishing
Stuck → pausing to reflect
Darkness → depth, quiet renewal
Coping → building resilience
This mental shift is especially important during the dark days, as it allows us to meet ourselves with love and care in the places we may find most uncomfortable.
The good news?
The days are getting visibly brighter, and spring is closer relative to the start of the winter. Until then, here’s how we can embrace the last stretch with all our senses - listening, feeling, tasting, seeing, and smelling. Because resting doesn’t mean doing nothing, below are a few beautiful things that can feel nourishing.
Ideas for thriving:
in no particular order.
Run a hot salt bath with pine or other forest scents that clear your nose, calm your mind and warm your heart (Weleda’s pine bath milk is a dream)
Indulge in hot chocolate with healthy homemade marshmallows
Rediscover childlike joy by cracking frozen puddles or crunching snow underfoot.
Bake a cinnamon-warming banana bread or apple crumble
Listen to a sound bath online - or join one live (I may open slots again soon, would you be interested?!).
Try mindful embroidery with
over athttps://www.charlesandelin.com/
Listen to
gorgeous meditationsRead about history with
byBecome a trained mentor, share your wisdom with the world and sign up to the self-paced course with
over atEnjoy your local arts scene with a visit to the movies, theatre, or a community concert.
Volunteer at a nearby shelter for a few hours, community service always lifts our spirits.
Decorate unused Christmas candles with pressed flowers (Etsy is your friend if needed).
Join the next journalling club with
Create a cosy cocoon, purchase
’s guide to creating a cosy cocoon and a place to rest.Invest in Merino wool underwear, you will never want to take off again, promise. I converted a few people already :)
Dream instead of forcing resolutions. Read why the year doesn’t really start on January 1st.
Romanticise the mundane moments, such as warming your hands with a cup of tea, listening to the tapping sound of rain or the fact that the kids play quietly for a few moments.
Start a new knitting project with
Master How to be organised in 2025 with
- who doesn’t dream of that?What would you add to the list?
Whatever you pick, celebrate winter for what it is; a time to rest, reset, and trust the unseen growth happening beneath the surface, inside ourselves and outside in our gardens, fields and forests.
That’s it from me today. 🫶 Thank you for reading. If you’re new here, you are now warmly invited to join The Rest Revolution Series within my online home here at Rooted & Rested, a space dedicated to the art of rest, rituals and nurturing rythms in business and life.
There aren’t any scientific studies behind this. In fact, Blue Monday was dreamt up by now-defunct holiday agency Sky Travel in 2005 as a way to sell more holidays.
It's not winter here, but I loved reading this post - will definitely be tucking these ideas away for the cooler months!
I used to think I was the only one feeling this way until I found so many people on Substack who share the same experience despite being in different parts of the world. I am leaning so much towards calm music, scented candles, morning sun and hot coffee these days and it has kept me going even on difficult days.