3 Crafty Tips to make January a bit easier on you
Now that the festive season is over, we still face two-thirds of Winter to get through. By comparison, January seems like the anti-climactic end of Winter. The lights are gone. Our social lives are, basically, non-existent. Everything that makes Winter magical and happy in December is basically gone by January 2nd, and our entire demeanour changes. So, what can we do to combat our low mood in January?
Let me show you some crafty tips to combat the January blues.
**Disclaimer: None of my suggestions can be used as therapy. If you
are suffering from depression, anxiety or any other mental illness, please, get
professional medical help.**
Identify Your Feelings and Issues
Of course, January is the polar opposite of the festive season.
But the low mood can have different and multiple origins. They may not always be clear because numerous issues melt into one big block of low mood. Untangling
this block takes a bit of effort.
Crafting can give you space to practice mindfulness. Why not
journal for a week and identify what impacts your mood most. Bullet Journaling is an excellent technique to capture your personal feelings and thoughts and
visualise them. Based on my bullet journal, I create a focal point every week to
establish my day-to-day and give me perspective.
Many crafts also enable mindfulness. Whether you make jewellery
or crochet, knit or paint, why not use your time for yourself and ponder
over your emotional needs. Are you feeling unproductive? The process of creating
and finishing a project can be just the thing to give you a lift.
Try Something New
When we are tired and low emotionally, it is easy and all too
tempting to just keep doing what we always do. While it is not wrong, why not induce some excitement by trying something new. It doesn’t have to be a
new craft. Sometimes just pushing yourself to make something you wouldn’t usually
make is enough. If you knit hats, why not knit a jumper or a pair
of socks. Add some colour to your crafts or redecorate your home by crafting
new decor and furniture.
The objective of this exercise is to keep your mind active. Learning
to do something new diverts our attention from negative thoughts towards something
productive. Mastering the new skill gives you a confidence boost early in the
year. While generally being creative reduces stress and symptoms of depression.
As a result, you can look at your finished product and your learning
curve and focus on what you achieved rather than the things you temporarily missed.
Be Social
January is not the most inviting month to go out. But are
you feeling lonely now? While we are out and about in December visiting family
and friends, come January, we stop. It is almost like in January, we choose to isolate
ourselves when it is actually the last thing we should do. Our social
engagement is down, and more than in any other month, we are retreating to our
sofas binge-watching TV.
Here is the beautiful thing about crafting. You can choose to
do it alone or in a group. I visited the local yarn shop when I moved town and
scouted for knit and natter groups. Those open for new people to join usually
leave a Flyer in the yarn shop, and shop assistants generally know their clients very
well and can direct you. Some more technically minded groups
moved on to Zoom or other Conferencing Apps throughout the pandemic. My friends and I meet on Zoom once
a month or even fortnightly for a craft and natter evening. It has been a
virtual stronghold to cope with the loneliness many of us experienced during
the Lockdowns.
There are many crafty things we can do to combat the January
blues. What are you doing in the coming weeks, and what project are you
currently working on.
Let me know in the comments, and feel free to share your
project on Instagram. Tag me, @annascraftjournal.
Are you looking for a new project? Why not check out some of
my idea posts here.
See you next time
Anna x
