What To Do When You Feel A Bit 'Meh'

Is 'Meh' even a word? Never mind. January has a lot to answer for, it's cold, dark, causes fares to go up and can make everyone feel a bit drab. For some reason though, I feel really motivated right now. I wake up early, go to my exercise classes and feel like anything is possible this year. Basically I had my 'January' a few months ago, I didn't want to get out of bed, had no motivation and kept putting things off. Since I'm self-employed, I'm in my own company a lot of the time so it's taken quite a while to establish some sort of routine. I've come up with a few tips I now swear by and even though some of you may be students or work full-time, I hope they can help some of you. Let's turn our frowns upside down!

Catch up with a friend

As if it's almost mid January already! Before you know it, it'll be June again and almost a year since you saw that old friend you were meaning to Whatsapp about going for a drink. It's so important to stay in touch with people, my blogging buds are pretty easy to maintain a friendship with as we pretty much stalk each other on every social network going, but what about the others? In my case, there's old school friends, people from my art foundation course, Uni friends, work friends, the list goes on. You may have connected during a particular time but lost touch and just occasionally end up liking something they do on Facebook. Well it's time to do something about it, since I work from home things can get a bit lonely, so I'm going to try and meet up with people for after-work drinks or food I'm feeling a little flush. I'm also going to try and buddy up with someone occasionally when working, last week I popped to Carrie's and it was great to have someone to bounce ideas off of (when you start to chat to the ASOS delivery man too much, you know it's time to get out more). Monday can be good for this sort of interaction, so you have something to look forward to at the end of a tricky day and it gets the week off to a flying start.

Try something alternative

Maybe I'm finally turning into a proper adult, but recently I've started to get intrigued by alternative therapies. There's just something about getting all of those neglected parts of the body sorted out and feeling refreshed afterwards. I got the chance to try out my first reflexology session a few months ago and it helped me kickstart a few changes. The session itself was as useful as it was unusual, a massage of sorts since pressure is applied to different points in the feet that link up to other parts of the body. At the time I had a lot going on in my head and was finding it tricky to relax, so being forced to remove all distractions and just focus on my breathing did me a world of good. I'd probably need to have a few more sessions to see a real difference, but it's definitely given me food for thought and I'd love to take an hour out of my life for this kind of thing in the future. I had my treatment with Mario, who you can contact here. I quite fancy an Indian Head Massage next!

Get energised

So during my fake January, I decided to finally commit to joining the gym. Paying the equivalent of a mini ASOS spree every month is the only way to get me to go as I'm determined to get my money's worth and it's relatively easy to book classes. I've managed to brave the actual fitness equipment (does anyone else make up names like 'walky thing') and no longer feel self conscious. Everyone is so busy doing their own thing so it's important to just get on with it and ask for help if you get stuck. If a gym membership is tricky for you right now, see if you're near a Sweaty Betty as they run free classes as well as Nike Training Club. My housemate is also a fan of the Fitness Blender workouts on Youtube, so turn your living room into a dance studio! I like to channel my inner Lucy whenever I exercise, so think crazy t-shirts, jazzy leggings and bright trainers. Since we're on talking about underwear terms now, I thought I'd share what I use for moral (and actual) support. All of those sporty crop tops are a bit pointless for me so I bought this new Shock Absorber sports bra in the hopes that I could one day just wear it with a pair of leggings or shorts. I was also sent this supportive Chantelle number, which I'm really impressed by. I'm trying to get as many options as possible so I no longer have the excuse of things needing a wash, if my Nan can get to the gym three times a week, then so can I!

Shock Absorber Sports bra, Hype t-shirt (c/o), Alexander Wang x H&M leggings, Chantelle Sports bra (c/o)
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Little Treats

Now I'm not saying that everyone should be an emotional shopper, but there's something nice about a little cake or your favourite ice-cream to enjoy when you get home. My favourite place is probably Peggy Porschen's Parlour for their salted caramel cake, if I'm in the area I pop in there for a slice and it comes in a pretty pink box. Equally, I'm just as happy chasing the man who reduces stuff in Sainsburys and picking up an apple turnover for 10p. It's the thought that counts. In order to illustrate this point, I just had to pick up this biscuit and cake combo from Biscuiteers. You can't fail to fall in love with their aesthetic and they also hold classes for wannabe artisan icers. How epic are these sugar skulls?

Seek Inspiration

This is another one for freelancers and probably those with more of a creative mindset, but one man's exhibition obsession might be another man's love of comedy. Remember what you like to get inspired by and go out and find it. I mentioned that my exhibition game was lacking last year and I'm determined to keep an eye on all of those short-term pop-ups. God's Own Junkyard of various neon signs has actually been in Walthamstow for a while now, but that wasn't enough incentive for me to visit, oh no. I had to wait until there was a two month pop-up in Brewer Street. In my defence it's an area that I tend to be in a lot and it's only fitting that it's near some of the Soho establishments that the late Chris Bracey used to kit out with signage. Check it out for yourself before it closes on Sunday!

Get Some Perspective

The newspaper headlines seem to get more depressing by the day, don't they? I tend to keep schtum about most things on Twitter as 140 characters really isn't enough, but in reality I'm not just about co-ords and handbags. My down days are not even a fraction of what a lot of others are going through and it's important to remember that. There's an overwhelming amount of charities and causes out there and it's tricky to know where to start. It must have been fate when I saw a tweet regarding Refuge who need unused beauty and skincare products for the women in their shelters. I quickly sorted out a bag of products I could do without and bought some extras that were on their list. Definitely get in touch if you're in a similar predicament, I'm hoping to pop by a few times a year.

Are you feeling the January blues? It was probably fitting that this post deleted itself when I was halfway through writing it, hopefully I've managed to make it into something coherent. As always, share any tips and remedies you have!