Trigger warning: Those with January birthdays may be offended.
Let's be honest, January sucks. It's that awkward, bleak time of recovery between the Christmas holidays and Valentine's Day, and literally nothing exciting happens during that time. Students return to school, realizing they forgot everything they learned before the breaks, and adults go back to work in order to pay off their credit card bills from the holidays. Seriously, if anyone can think of anything cool that has ever happened in January, please, let me know. In the first month of the calendar year, almost everyone finds themselves in a rut, dragging around lazily and not accomplishing anything. How can we keep from running out of steam so early in 2016? Here are some tips for how to make it through this lame month successfully.
1. Start over.
The coolest thing about January is that it ushers in a brand new year, and with it a brand new chance to reinvent yourself. You can leave last year's problems in the past and focus on what should really matter in your life: yourself (and of course, the people you love).
2. Eat better and hit the gym.
January (almost ironically) is National Healthy Weight Awareness Month. Use that FitBit Santa brought you and get active! Your body has just had its fill of delicious food for an entire month, so it's time to break out the veggies. However, if you are planning on joining a gym, perhaps wait a week or so; by then, the New Year's resolution crowds will likely have thinned some.
3. National Bubble Bath Day (1/8).
For all you strange people out there who think you need an excuse to take a bath, January 8 is the perfect day to do it. Go all out with a bath bomb or bubbles and a candle in observance of such an important day.
4. Focus on school.
Since there's not very much to do in January, it's the perfect time to catch up on or get ahead in school work. Motivation runs low at schools on the quarter system, as all of our semester school friends are still chilling at home watching multiple Netflix series daily; but, January is the perfect time to knock out some homework or actually start that term paper that's been looming over your head. By the time social functions pick back up around campus, you won't have to worry about staying home to work on school stuff.
5. Watch football.
If you're a college football fan, The National Championship game is January 11, and it should be an exciting one no matter who you're pulling for. Also, NFL Wild Card Playoff Games begin January 9, and playoffs continue throughout the month of January, leading up to the Super Bowl (played in Levi's Stadium, home of the 49ers) on February 7. Devote your Sundays to kicking back and keeping up with your favorite teams (unless you're a Saints fan, *sigh*), and perhaps even get in on a bracket and win some cash or bragging rights along the way!
6. Adopt a new hobby.
January is also National Hobby Month, and what better way to kick off a new year than with a new pastime? Whether it's taking up an interesting class or doing a quick Google search of fun activities in your area, or simply just finding a way to clear your mind, take up something new and go with it! What do you have to lose? (For those that don't know, the Lambright offers yoga classes for La Tech students morning and evening.)
7. Get into the Mardi Gras spirit.
In Louisiana, we're so fortunate to celebrate one of the coolest holidays there is! Mardi Gras festivities typically begin at the beginning of the year (or before, in some places) and last through Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday in the Catholic Church (this year, February 9). When I was little, my mom would leave our Christmas tree up through February and change the decorations to Mardi Gras colors; there's no better way to get into the spirit than to decorate! Throw a party, eat a King Cake, or even go to a parade!
8. Shop the sales.
January is one of the best months for shopping, as it falls directly after the largest gifting holiday of the year, and stores are all trying to clean out their shelves to make room for the upcoming year. You have a list of items you wanted and didn't get over the holidays and Christmas money burning a hole in your pocket, so now is the perfect time to take care of that. Since sales are so sporadic I won't list any specifically, but the best way to find the ones you want are to sign up for email notifications from your favorite stores and check them regularly!
9. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1/18).
MLK Day is celebrated on the third Monday of January, giving us all a long weekend in observance of one of the greatest Civil Rights activists in American history. Volunteer somewhere locally or plan a weekend trip to somewhere you've always wanted to go, and make the most out of your day off this year.
10. Plan the rest of your year.
January flies by, and before you know it you're already a month into the year. This year, go in with a battle plan. Pull out the handy dandy Lilly agenda you got for Christmas this year and use it; use it now and continue to use it three months from now, and so on. Prepare ahead of time. Live on purpose. Stop being lazy, don't let yourself be bored, and stop procrastinating. Commit to 2016 because it's here either way!
