Blue Monday

Moet and Chandon via The Daily Mail

Today has been labelled the most depressing day of the year. I can see why the January blues strike at this time, Christmas is now a distant memory and pay day is still that bit too far away. However, all is not lost, I have compiled a little list of things to do, to cheer us up and keep us entertained for the rest of January.

♥  Bake. I find baking ridiculously enjoyable. I love the whole process of making something delicious out of a few basic ingredients...most of us have flour, butter, sugar and eggs lying around at home. You can go for fairy cakes, a Victoria Sponge, or keep it simple with good old fashioned (but very tasty!) rice crispy cakes....or even a no bake cake (all you need is butter, melted chocolate, broken digestive biscuits, marshmallows and what ever else you fancy throwing in there!).

♥ Read. Reading is a great way to escape your everyday life and in all honesty I don't read enough. My favourite books to read at this time of year are ones that transport me to an exotic, warmer location. I just finished Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert which documents the author's travels through Italy, India and Bali. Other great escapism books are The Island and The Return by Victoria Hislop and also The Beach by Alex Garland. In reality, I'll read pretty much anything, chick lit, classic literature, coffee table books, The Twilight Saga etc...I'm just about to start Life and Laughing: My Story by Michael Mcintyre which I hope will cheer me up on these gloomy, dark nights. If you're struggling to decide what to read, i recommend Goodreads, a website where you can find hundreds of book reviews and even write your own. I generally buy all my books from Amazon, which sells them for dirt cheap prices, charity shops also sell used books for a couple of quid...and if money is really tight there's always the good old library.

♥ Revitalise. January is the month for self improvement and resolutions. If your new year's resolutions have fallen by the wayside, now is the time to get them back on track. I'm still keeping an eye on my January goals and whilst I have completed most of them, there are still things I need to do...not to mention February's goals to think about! Eating better and exercising more is easy to say, hard to do, but we all know it will leave us feeling better in the long run. Aim to go for a walk, or even a swim, join a fitness class or a running club....I've been meaning to join a friend at aqua aerobics for months now! If exercise doesn't appeal, burn off some calories by giving your room/house a good clear out, always refreshing to chuck out the old and make way for the new. If you have the time you can always start a new project, I have been toying with the idea of starting a project 365 (where you take a picture everyday for one year) for a couple of weeks now.

♥  Pamper. Nothing screams pamper to me like a Lush bath. The bath bombs/bubble bars cost roughly 3 pounds and transform a boring old bath into something fun. For depressing January nights I would recommend Sakura (spring in a bath), Big Blue (so you can imagine you're swimming in the Mediterranean, rather than your dirty bath water) and Sunny Side (summery, citrus scent). If baths aren't your thing, try a hair mask, face mask or body treatment......cold blasted skin needs good exfoliating and moisturising! I'm currently perfecting the art of applying nail varnish with DIY manis and pedis, and also trying (and failing) to get used to the pain of epilating....it just hurts so much! Failing all that, I love to play and experiment with make up....this used to be a nightly occurrence when I was in my early teens, but nowadays I struggle to find the time to take my makeup off! It is nice to have a play around every so often, and create some new looks or follow a you tube tutorial....I still need to master the art of contouring!

♥  Watch. Sometimes I love nothing more than digging out a feel good chick flick...my personal faves include The Devil Wears Prada and both Legally Blondes. I am also fortunate enough to own the complete box set of Sex and the City which I will never tire of, watching those episodes always puts me in a good mood.

♥  Re-decorate. A lick of paint can really transform a room and is pretty inexpensive. Failing that an ornate mirror, or picture creates a new focal feature. Keep it simple by adding some fairy lights...I have USB fairy lights which i can easily use and pack away again. Plants also make a great addition to a room, I think my orchid which I have had for 2 and a half years is one of my absolute pride and joys....can't believe I've managed to keep it alive for this long!

♥  Wish. Aahhh the wishlist is my friend in this eternal month of January. Whilst I'm waiting for my long overdue February pay check I can do some online window shopping, my Amazon wishlist is quickly building and I've pressed the save for later button on Asos more times than I care to remember. I love looking at all the new season's clothes and deciding what I want to be wearing once the weather does finally warm up or (squeal of excitement) on my summer holidays. What's more, thanks to the invention of the wishlist (thank you online shopping Gods!) I know my saved items will be there, ready to be purchased, come the beginning of February.


Happy Monday Everyone!