Why people suffer the January blues and how to avoid the New Year slump

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

After a bustling month of socialising, feasting and Christmas celebrations, many of us feel drained and disoriented when January arrives.

This post-holiday slump, often referred to as the January blues, is a common phenomenon characterised by feelings of lethargy, low energy and lack of motivation.

But why does this occur, and how can we make January more joyful? "The January blues refer to feelings of sadness, lack of motivation, loneliness and low energy that often arise after the festive season," explains Dr Lalitaa Suglani, a psychologist and author of High Functioning Anxiety: A 5-Step Guide To Calming The Inner Panic And Thriving. "This dip in mood is common as we transition from the excitement of the holidays into a more routine-focused and colder part of the year." "Holiday routines, like late nights and irregular eating patterns, disrupt our circadian rhythm, making it harder to get back into a structured routine," says Suglani. "Also, reduced exposure to sunlight during the winter months leads to a drop in serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, leading to feelings of sadness or lethargy." "Lower sunlight also disrupts the body’s production of melatonin, a hormone that influences sleep and energy cycles.

This can cause excessive tiredness or poor-quality sleep." Meanwhile, some of us also experience a dopamine crash at the beginning of January after a busy month of socialising and festive fun. "The festive season often brings an increase in dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter, due to celebrations, gifts and connection," observes Suglani. "When this stimulation ends, dopamine levels can plummet, leaving people feeling deflated." The pressure to start a new year as an organised, reformed