19/01/2026
Today is so-called Blue Monday. Apparently the gloomiest day of the year.
Cold and dark, with the festive sparkle long gone, and this January has really committed to the role, with weather that felt less “bracing” and more “early Ice Age”...
A gentle reminder though, as I always like to remind you: Blue Monday is a myth…yes, it was invented by a travel company to sell holidays. Our emotional lives are far too complicated to peak and crash on command, neatly scheduled for a Monday in January.
That said, January can be hard. The light is thin, the year stretches ahead, and many of us are tired in ways a good night’s sleep doesn’t quite fix.
So rather than diagnosing the day, here are a few kinder ways to meet it:
🏃🏽♂️Move a little. Nothing heroic. A short walk, a stretch, a quiet dance in the kitchen while waiting for the kettle. Movement tells the nervous system you’re still alive and still here!
🗣️ Reach out. Send the message. Make the call. Even brief connection can lift the sense of isolation that winter is very good at whispering into our ears.
✨ Notice what’s working. Three small things is enough. Warm socks count. So does the sun appearing for ten entire minutes. So when it does, get your body outside (if you can!).
❤️🩹 Do something kind. For someone else, or for yourself. Kindness has a way of circling back when we least expect it.
🫶🏼 Lower the bar. One small, achievable thing today is plenty. January is not the moment for life overhauls, it’s the moment for steadiness.
🗞️ 📺 And if the news feels relentless.. which it has, frankly, been auditioning for the most overwhelming start to a year in decades, you’re allowed to step back. Staying informed does not require living in a permanent state of alarm.
No single day defines how you’re doing. Some days we cope well, some days we don’t and both are part of being human.
So my message to you today is be gentle with yourself. Winter won’t last forever, even when it feels determined to prove otherwise.
Love Julia x 💙