like, it’s still dark at 5pm, there are barely any sports on, still bitterly cold and austere and it hurts to go outside, but you’re not even looking forward to christmas or the new year. the new year is here, and it’s largely the same as last year. except you’re getting older.
We’re past the winter solstice. Take note of the sun setting a bit earlier each day. That always gives me a boost because I can look at my phone and see that condition improving. Good luck!
Don’t take down your Christmas lights (inside at least). Make hot chocolate at home, create rituals for yourself
Make your own holiday, see a therapist, find a new hobby or something you enjoy watching other than sports, read a book? Just a few ideas.
Besides everything else, Martin Luther King gave us a sorely-needed January holiday. If you want to do it right, make plans to do something selfless that day. It might even lead to you continuing to do that thing or work with that group, and exercise those human kindness muscles, developing the content of your character. Or it might just be the once, and that’s okay. Or maybe the best you can muster is to raise a glass and thank Martin for the 3-day weekend. It’s still something to get your head past this slump. By Groundhog Day you’ll be seeing that little bit more daylight that brings hope.
Happiness, excitement and anticipation are cycles. In order to experience them again to their full, you must allow them to fade for awhile. Trying to hold onto them for too long is causing you more grief than the actual lack of them in the moment.
Take a moment to breathe, and appreciate where you are, what you have, and who you’ve shared it with, before you rush onward.