Jenny Bathurst: "Don't let those January blues overshadow our joy"

“I can almost guarantee that either you reading this or somebody you know is currently suffering with a sore throat, a bunged up nose, a banging headache, or joints that are more awkward to manoeuvre than Harry’s relationship with the Royal Family. It seems to be the conversation starter at the moment – not ‘what are your plans for the year’ or ‘how was your Christmas’, but the one thing we want to know is whether or not everyone else has been suffering with a virus of some sort and what their symptoms were. When suffering with what I thought was festive flu, a spontaneous Boxing Day test proved it to be Christmas Covid and yet I feel entirely thankful that in this moment I’m not one of the many Brits blowing their nose every five minutes.

“Somehow each and every year it becomes so easy to feel that the challenges of January are going to schlep into every following month too. The first few days of January you feel hopeful as you sign up for your gym membership or trade your Kit Kats for the organic raw date bars that you pretend to actually enjoy, but as the reality of January kicks in (freezing cold and back to work – ew) it becomes apparent that it isn’t necessarily as much of a refresh but more of a rewind back to previous Januarys. Just because the clock struck twelve and we all mutually agreed that it was the start of a new year doesn’t mean that we can’t be struck by colds or flus or the challenges that can hit us any and everyday. Now I am aware of just how negative that sounds, but in actual fact I feel there is more potential to not let these early year ‘January blues’ overshadow our joy than we give ourselves credit for.

“When I think back to where I was last year, I am amazed at how much really occurred in a time that seemed to fly by. No, it wasn’t my best twelve months, (understatement – it was blooming difficult) but if I had decided that my fears and worries in that January were going to remain the entire year, I think I might have found myself in an even harder position to cope. I had just started dating my wonderful boyfriend but I was worried about my health after suffering a horrible concussion and was unsure of the future of my degree. Yes, some of my fears did come true and in fact there were some nasty surprises, but as always the fear never helped me when the time came or improved the situation itself.

“So, it’s easier said than done, but I tell myself repeatedly that giving in to my January fears, because we all have them, will most likely not play any part in the year ahead. And let’s hope it’s a good one.”