New Years Blues Be Gone 9 TIPS TO SHAKE THOSE NEW YEARS BLUES

Writer Alison Du Pras @prettyinpython
Photographer Tracy Kahn @tracykahn

After the last Champagne bottle has popped and the gold confetti has settled on the ground, it’s not uncommon to feel a little discouraged about bringing in the new year. Maybe it’s from the weather, or the fact that yet another year has crept by leaving you with some unfulfilled expectations, but starting a new year can feel like the biggest emotional strain. Of course there is also the pressure of conquering your resolutions— joining a gym and finding true love. The fact is, you are capable of accomplishing your dreams and you will! Remember to approach your ambitions at your own speed. Tthese feelings are totally temporary; if you focus on yourself without the comparison to others, and stay positive, you can figure out a few ways to subdue the feeling enough to find light at the beginning of a new year.

1. Reach out to people you love. You don’t have to talk heavily about the issues weighing on your mind, but taking that first jump and reaching out is what will really help you the most. I once read something that said, “Loneliness and depression are great friends,” and found it to be the most relevant comparison. It’s hard to focus on your own feelings when you’re distracted by the comfort of great company. A little conversation and coffee can go a long way!
2. Exercise and eat right, not for a resolution but out of basic respect for yourself. This isn’t easy, but absolutely the most necessary. Eating junk food because it feels good and lying in bed all morning instead of hitting the gym is guaranteed to make you feel worse about anything that might be running through your mind. Instead, use diet and exercise as a way to release all of those endorphins. Run until you can’t think anymore or cook something healthy and delicious. If your physical-self is happy, your mental-self will follow.
3. Make some really exciting plans for the new year. Planning little vacations and career goals for 2016 makes the new year seem like a huge step forward and not just another eventless year to come and go. Set attainable goals that will make you feel in charge.
4. When all else fails, just cry it all out. You know that feeling when you don’t even know why you’re bawling over a movie trailer, but it just feels so damn good to keep crying? That’s a necessary form of release and at the end you might find yourself seeing things in a different light.
5. Take a break from social media and focus your efforts on helping someone else instead. Nothing is worse than being bombarded with false perceptions of everyone’s perfect lives. This is the best time of year to put the phone down and focus on helping someone in real life instead. Be the person you needed when you were younger and help mentor someone who looks up to you. Send a reassuring message to a friend who may be going through the same sadness you are. Remind your friends and family how much you love them. There are plenty of ways to put your own mind on the back burner just long enough to remember why life is so beautiful.
6. Read a really great book. I’m not trying to sound like your high school English teacher, but books are absolutely the best and cheapest form of therapy. Take it to the park or a coffee shop! Books give you a chance to get outside of your own mind and depending on the story can inspire you try something new/think differently/start your own revolution. Ask your smartest friend what she’s read and liked, or try starting with Being of Power by Baron Baptiste or GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso. On another note (no pun intended) try journaling! Create and maintain daily positive habits with The Five Minute Journal.
7. Detach from the crap and throw things away. A messy house breeds a messy mind and it’s always better to start a new chapter with fewer meaningless objects lying around. Mementos that remind you of anything other than an absolutely amazing time? They need to go. Clothes that you don’t love don’t deserve precious space in your closet. Only keep things around that inspire you to live your version of a beautiful life and see how the empty space also clears space for positivity in your mind.
Be absolutely ridiculous and don’t give a damn. Put on all the cheesy songs you love but are too embarrassed to play in front of anyone. Throw on your highest heels, wear that neon lipstick and dance around your apartment until you pass out from exhaustion. Order pizza at 4AM. Put bubbles in your bath until it overflows. Remind yourself that life isn’t too serious and you’re allowed to do whatever you please. Remember all the crazy things you imagined doing as a teenager when you thought about having your own money and place? Do all those things and realize that you are completely capable of making your past wishes happen.
8. Treat yourself, because it’s the year of YOU. Face masks and a cheap bottle of champagne go a long way for a girl’s self-esteem and happiness. Cancel whatever plans aren’t important, focus on you, and don’t feel guilty about it one single bit. It’s important to be a bit selfish sometimes. Exfoliate all of the negativity out and remind yourself that life is always about new beginnings.
9. Remember, there are always better times to come with each new day, or year. There are too many puppy kisses, bubble baths, and vacation plans your beautiful self has to look forward to, we promise.
“There are too many puppy kisses, bubble baths, and vacation plans your beautiful self has to look forward to…”