January Blues: How to stay happy during the colder months

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How can you beat the January blues?

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00:00At a time when many people are suffering with the January blues, a happiness expert is encouraging

00:09people to rethink how they cope with winter.

00:12Stephanie Davies says low mood at this time of year is common, but it can be eased with

00:17practical, manageable steps rather than drastic resolutions.

00:22So it gets to this time of month, doesn't it?

00:24And generally it just seems so long.

00:26I think they add in an extra two weeks and we actually don't know that that's what they've

00:30done.

00:31You are so right.

00:32And it's about mindset and it's about what we can do, what we can't do and controlling

00:37the controllables.

00:38And part of that is knowing the stuff that makes us feel better.

00:43And we experience the world through our senses.

00:45So, you know, going out there, getting outside, being in daylight is really important, connecting

00:51with our friends and, you know, having things to look forward to.

00:55And like you said, you know, flipping it on its head and going, OK, that's what happened

01:00last year.

01:01What can happen, you know, this year?

01:04Research suggests January is widely felt to be the hardest month of the year, with 46% of

01:10people in the UK describing it as depressing.

01:13Stephanie Davies says simple actions like getting outside in daylight, staying socially connected

01:19and laughing more can help, but planning something to look forward to may be especially powerful

01:25for boosting optimism.

01:26But what it does is when we have something to look forward to, it gives us hope and hope

01:32is one of the most important emotions in all psychology research.

01:35It talks about hope that we have something to look forward to, to keep us going.

01:40It gives us a dopamine boost.

01:42And so that dopamine boost actually keeps us moving forward.

01:45If we booked a holiday, then we can talk about it with friends as well.

01:49And then we get that double whammy hit because we're talking to them about it.

01:53We also know it's in our diary.

01:55So even if we're going to work and we're, you know, we're getting up in the dark and

01:59we're coming home in the dark and work feels a little bit tough, we're going, I've got

02:02a reason why I'm going to work because I'm saving that little bit of money.

02:07And that's my reason to go to work.

02:08And the brain needs a why.

02:09When we have a why, it moves us forward.

02:12Obviously with you being a happiness expert, I kind of just want to know what the foundations

02:18of happiness are in general.

02:19If you have a kind of answer for that, if, if you're, you know, everything there is to

02:24know about happiness, what would you tell people across the nation that they need to

02:28know about like this element that people are on the search for their entire lives most of

02:32the time?

02:33Well, chasing happiness will make you unhappy.

02:35That's the number one rule is it's okay to have all emotions, sadness, anger, frustration.

02:40They all tell us something.

02:42And don't think because we have one that we won't ever not have happiness.

02:46It's about everything in balance and sitting with those emotions and what do they tell us?

02:50But it's also about little tiny habits, simple things that are really good for us.

02:54So getting up at the same time every day and building that into a routine, simple things

02:59like making your bed, connecting with friends, controlling the controllables.

03:04I always say, you know, there are certain things in the world we can't control that will

03:07impact us, but having that understanding of what do I focus on that I can control.

03:15While winter can feel relentless, the evidence suggests small intentional choices can help

03:20people feel more in control and better equipped to get through the colder months ahead.

03:27Jet2's research also shows half of Brits say they plan to prioritise experiences over

03:32material items in the future.

03:34With a third saying holidays simply bring them happiness and joy.

03:38And there's lots of things that we can do and the research by jet2holidays.com looked

03:42at what people like the most and things like even having a cosy night in, you know, getting

03:47your friends around, watching things that are on TV, having a laugh with your friends is

03:51really important.

03:52We laugh more when we are connected with other people.

03:55So get your friends around, get some cosy food as well, get some snacks in and getting

04:01outside is really important.

04:02So there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.

04:05Put on your wellies, put on a rain jacket and get out and looking at the sun, you know,

04:09being around, not directly, of course, but being outside in the daylight boosts our serotonin

04:15and the mitochondria in the brain.

04:18And it's an important part of what gives us energy.

04:21So there are things that we can do that doesn't cost money, but absolutely does boost our wellbeing

04:28and motivation.

04:29So there are things that we can do in our way.

04:31We can do that too.

04:32Use the Ladenors and the Leng Energy for the elsewhere.

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04:38story, I can outrage, especially for others.

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04:41Thanks a lot to take care of the view are more complex and Е short встречers.

04:42I've found lots of things that I've found, I'm a團-band, so join the

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