It's the Most Unremarkable Time of the Year.

January. The first month of the year and, arguably, the most loathed month of the year. First place in chronological order, but not in preference (May is the clear winner here).

I get it: it’s dark, it’s cold and the jubilance of Christmas seems like a distant memory. On top of this, society thought this would be a great month to start those ‘new-year’ diets, juice cleanses and alcohol abstinences (whoever thought dry January was a good idea was totally delusional).

However, I am here in defence of January today. I may be partially biased, as January is my birthday month, but regardless of this I am tired of people hating on poor January.

I think January has a tough gig: right after Christmas, right in the middle of winter, right at the beginning of the year when everyone expects their life to drastically change and improve simply by setting resolutions.

January is what you make of it. If you decide that January will be a ‘challenging month,’ then don’t be surprised when you struggle to get out of bed each morning.

Perhaps it’s because I grew up in Ireland that makes me feel immune to the sadness associated with darkness and cold. Ireland is like that all the time! Even in the summer, Derry in particular doesn’t exactly endure heatwave temperatures or glorious sunshine (hello vitamin D deficiency!). Instead of looking at cold and dark weather as something miserable, maybe you could view it as cosy? Think of those blankets, candles, and endless cups of tea with biscuits. Appreciate the time you can spend indoors, peacefully hibernating.

Now, in saying all of this, I do acknowledge that SAD is a genuine condition and some people do struggle in the winter more than others. I totally understand that your sadness in January is more severe than just feeling ‘a little blue’ and that it will take more than some vitamin C serum and a ‘sunrise alarm clock’ to make you feel better. If you do suffer with SAD, then I hope you are able to access the help you need to get you through and see the light in a very dark month.

And if you are struggling, then please go easy on yourself. Do things that bring you joy and look forward to the fact that January is nearly over, and spring is right around the corner. These long winter nights will soon be a thing of the past and you will be frolicking in the sunshine with the lambs and chicks very soon!

Let's give some love to January and give some love to ourselves.