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Home Alzheimer's & Dementia Beating the January Blues

Beating the January Blues

January 23, 2024Alzheimer's & Dementia, Caregiver, Christmas, Developmentally Challenged Care, Elder Care, Exceptional Service, Exercise & Fitness, Fall Prevention, Healthy Aging, Heart Disease Prevention, Holiday, Home Care Aide, In Home Care, kidney care, Long Term Care Insurance, Music Therapy, Nutrition & Wellness, Parkinson's, Safety, Senior Care, senior living facility, socialization, Special Needs Care, Stroke Care, Veteran Careskoh

Beating the January blues is not difficult to do.

January is often prime time for Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, a mood disorder that occurs when the seasons change.

SAD usually starts in the fall and winter and continues until spring and summer hit again.

Researchers have yet to show the crucial link of how diminished daylight leads to a drop in serotonin levels, especially for seniors.

But they have done brain scan studies to show that people with SAD had higher levels of a serotonin transporter protein (SERT) in the winter compared to healthy individuals.

In the United States, January and February are the most difficult for people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  Some people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during the summer months, though it is much less likely to occur.  Similarly like depression, January blues can manifest with symptoms such as:

  • low mood
  • sadness
  • lack of energy and motivation
  • anxiety
  • low libido
However, the difference between the January blues and depression is that January blues tend to last a few weeks maximum because of factors mentioned above.

Every year, much of the media focuses on a specific day – the third Monday in January – as the most depressing of the year.  It has become known as Blue Monday, but we can be assured that this is a myth.  Yes, the aftermath of Christmas such as overeating, overspending and failed New Year’s resolutions, can give people a case of the doldrums.

Sunshine and Happiness

Importantly, lack of sunlight exposure during the winter months can disrupt the body’s release of neurotransmitters related to anxiety and depression.  One way of beating the January blues and coping with winter anxiety is to bundle up and actually go outside, despite how much cold temperatures make you want to just stay in bed.

Furthermore, far too many people suffering from anxiety avoid sleep, causing their stresses to continue to keep them awake.

Sleep is one of the most important tools for coping with stress, so when you allow yourself to be kept awake, you make it much more likely for stress to affect you later.

New Year’s Blues: 6 Ways to Make it Through January

  1. Plan a Trip. My favorite way to beat the blues is to get out of town. …
  2. Have Resolution-Friendly Fun. January is the time when people want to save money, eat better, exercise more, and work harder. …
  3. Get a Hobby. …
  4. Do Winter Activities. …
  5. Make an Album. …
  6. Hug and walk your dog (if you have one)
  7. Make Sure You’re Not SAD.

You can use the 333 rule for anxiety in the moment something triggers you to beat the January blues.

Just look around to identify 3 objects and 3 sounds, then move 3 body parts.

Many people find this strategy helps focus and ground them when anxiety seems overwhelming.

Reduce Stress and Improve Your Well-Being

  1. Be active – take a dance or workout class!
  2. Close your eyes, take deep breaths, stretch, do yoga or meditate.
  3. Write three to five things you are grateful for.
  4. Evaluate yourself – take time to ask yourself how you are feeling.
  5. Laugh! It’s the best medicine! 😉

How do you break and beat the January blues?

What You Can Do

  1. Get Out Of Bed. One of the most important things you can do is routinely awake at about the same time every morning (even weekends).
  2. Lights. Light helps your body function better.
  3. Move. Be active right as much as possible — oxygenate!
  4. Music. Music helps transmit frequency to relax the body!
  5. Nutrition. Healthy food always helps to energize the body!
  6. Talk With Someone. Call a friend or relative and say hello!
  7. Limit Caffeine. Drowsiness may dominate during dark days, but limit caffeine so you can sleep!
  8. Limit Sugar. Having a sweet tooth is no sin, but overdoing sugar may bring unnecessary withdrawals that may be add to the doldrum feelings.

Other ideas include creating something, even in a small way; cooking a good meal or redecorating a corner in your home.

Think about what makes you happy and lifts you up, and then spend more time doing it.

Enjoy relaxing activities such as reading, painting, gardening or whatever you love.

There are several ways to cope with and overcome feeling blue.

Some activities that may also help include watching, listening to, or reading something humorous, spending time in nature, or getting physically active.

Tips for beating and overcoming the January blues

  • Plan social events on your calendar like a book club or connecting with a friend regularly.
  • Start setting small goals for the year ahead.
  • Try timely winter activities: ice skating, snow shoeing and kite flying.
  • Make time to connect with people you may have missed at previous social events.
  • Invite friends or family over for game night.
  • Limit your alcohol, caffeine and food intake.

What you’re eating can impact your health.

Creating a healthier diet and proper hydration can give a needed physical boost of energy, especially during a major shift in your life.

Studies show that vitamin B-12 and other B vitamins play a role in producing brain chemicals that affect mood and other brain functions.

Low levels of B-12 and other B vitamins such as vitamin B-6 and folate may be linked to depression.

Furthermore, following a healthy diet, particularly one that incorporates good proteins, fats, vegetables and fruits, and avoiding a pro-inflammatory diet such as junk food and fast food, may lower the risk of developing depressive symptoms or clinical depression, according to the findings of our review.

Our team here at Assisting Hands Home Care provides the elderly, disabled, and special needs non-medical assistance at home.

Primarily, we work with clients in the North Orange County and surrounding Los Angeles and Inland Empire areas.

We promote the option that most people prefer – to remain independent, safe, and comfortable in their own homes while receiving care.

Our goal is to close the gap in services from medical to non-medical needs.

With home care services, Assisting Hands® provides a better alternative for the elderly, disabled and others needing a little extra support and assistance to stay home!

For compassionate in-home care for you or a loved one, contact us today!

Tags: caregiver, Christmas, developmentally challenged care, elder care, Espanol, Exercise & Fitness, fall prevention, healthy aging, Holiday, home care aide, in home care, kidney care, long term care insurance, Music Therapy, Nutrition & Wellness, parkinsons, safety, senior care, socialization, special needs care, stroke care, Thanksgiving, veteran care
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