A Fresh Start For February
January is typically seen a fresh start at this time of year and it makes sense it being the beginning of a new calendar year and all that. But, January is a month that I typically find quite difficult after all the festivities in December when typically your schedule is a lot freer and fluid than usual getting back into the routine of daily life can feel a little difficult. This year, instead of trying to make January my fresh start I’m making February mine, even though I don’t believe you need a new year to make changes in your life it is satisfying to work on forming new habits at the beginning of a new year and this how I’m having a fresh start for February.
january is a tough month
Some years I find January incredibly tough and other years I’ve been completely fine and I’m not someone who likes to wish away time but this year it felt like it was the longest month on record. I have no idea why it always feels like those 31 days last 3 months but they do, to be honest, if all months felt as long as January then we’d probably feel like the years we’re going by at a regular pace instead of passing us by at lightning speed. Undoubtedly one of the biggest reasons that I find January tough is financially it’s one of the most stressful months as it’s tax season and it’s one of the slowest months I have work-wise. Despite the same pattern occurring every year I still get myself into a worried tizz about my career being over and instead of enjoying having a little more free time in my schedule I will sit and worry myself into oblivion instead which of course, never changes the outcome so it’s a pointless way to spend my time.
January also feels like it’s a month that has a lot of pressure on it too, you’re suddenly expected to become a new person on the first after a few weeks of indulging and having time off so there is no wonder that everyone starts to feel seriously disheartened just a few weeks in. Forming fresh habits and incorporating new things into your lifestyle takes time but I think we all feel a lot of pressure to suddenly evolve into a new person when January rolls around which is such an awful thing to do to yourself. There were things that I certainly did want to achieve in January like there is every month but I didn’t set myself some crazy unrealistic list to hang over my head and I took the month quite slowly. As the weather is quite dreary I find it’s a time of year where I like to get a lot of life and work admin done, decluttering and slowly start incorporating new things into my life. Even though those things aren’t particularly exciting it still felt really good to get them done and it’s made me feel a lot more prepared to make bigger changes to my life in February but I don’t feel like I need to have the whole ‘New Year, New Me’ way of thinking like I can easily slip in to during January.
spring is on the way and the days are getting lighter
The sight of snowdrops popping up from the ground always gives me the hope that the lighter days are on the way and thankfully they are. I’ve realised it’s not so much the cold that I find difficult about winter as I can dress appropriately for that but it’s the lack of light that really bothers me. Some days it feels like the sun doesn’t even properly rise so it’s dark and grey all day, as soon as the sun appears I feel like a new person and I cannot wait till it doesn’t get dark till 8 or so. The evenings are already drawing out which has made a big change in my routine as there isn’t so much pressure to have everything I need to do in daylight done before 3pm when the light really starts to fade.
a February to-do list
Try on wedding dresses.
Pick our wedding florist.
figure out what if we’re getting our wedding cake made by someone or getting an M&S one.
add songs to our wedding playlist.
Start going to the gym in the morning again.
go on more runs with Josie.
clear out my phones camera roll.
book myself a haircut
start using more face-mask and hair-masks.
go through and declutter my spring/summer wardrobe in preparation to switch over in a couple of months.
find some new podcasts to listen to.
meet up with some fellow whippet owners to build edie’s confidence.
