Beating the blues

I've decided I've found the way to beat January blues.

We all know what it’s like you have a big build up to Christmas, time off, presents, food and drink. Within 5 minutes it’s over and then bam you’re into a new year. It’s cold, it’s dark, you’re back to work and you’re skint. Happy days.

A few years back I decided to try Dry January and in turn ‘become more cultured’. The no drinking was tough and I found I just became a bit of a hermit and didn’t socialise for most of the month. I did however discover I liked ballet, am not a fan of the opera and like exhibitions/galleries depending on what they are.

Like everyone else I was feeling a bit down about the winter and having to go back to work – especially after having simply been eating, drinking and watching films over the Christmas break and totally messing up my sleeping patterns!

I’m finding it hard to get up in the mornings whilst it’s so dark and I am constantly sleepy by about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. However, I am finding a way to deal with it.

Plans. Lots of plans – I’ve been on a booking whirlwind – booking in friends to come visit our house who haven’t seen it yet, making social arrangements after work and booking shows I quite fancy the look of.

So far we’ve been to see Swan Lake at the London Coliseum, The Likes Of Us by a local group at our local theatre, a wedding exhibition at the V&A, been on a work team meal out and eaten Mexican street food.

This week I’m catching up with an old friend over a meal and drinks and am going out for cocktails on Friday night.

I’ve already got booked up next week a diet/coaching talk show, a spa day and a wedding show.

That’s not counting having family over at the weekend, booking up another ballet and already having tickets to the Ideal Home Show (thanks to my lovely friend, one of my Christmas presents).

It feels good to see my diary getting full and it doesn’t make January and winter seem so glum that’s for sure.

The other thing I’m of course doing is trying to get back in shape. I put on quite a fair bit of weight over Christmas and in fact since moving into our house together. So I’ve also been trying to be strict since New Years Day and am exercising and eating a healthy diet/watching my calories.

Last week when I weighed myself I was a tad disappointed with progress however and tomorrow I plan to weigh myself again – another week in. So let’s just see how successful this blues beating approach is then…

Busy doing nothing

I’m writing this blog as I want to know if I’m the only one who faces diary dilemmas.

Lately I’ve been tied up sorting our house out and if I’m not at work I’m doing something or planning something for our home.

This then led me to get quite grumpy this week and feel a tad like I’m in the middle of Groundhog Day syndrome and doing the same thing over and over, whilst not enjoying life itself and socialising.

Cue me then desperately reaching out to people to make some plans.

Of course the time I leave it to arrange things now most people are busy and tied up already. This then leaves me to get a bit mopey and complain I have no social life and am getting boring.

I’ve now made a couple of plans so hopefully I won’t feel like I’m ‘wasting’ the weekend, and in all honesty after all we’re spending on homeware my purse could probably do with a break from socialising.

However, as the festive season approaches I’m pretty sure we’ll start to get booked up as we always do. I’m already stressing over the fact we’ve had one set of friends over to the new house socially and have loads more to see and invite round. Our poor family have only come for very brief visits too – or to help us set things up!

I’ve just chased our furniture company in fact to see if there is any update, I just want our big corner sofa and dining set in so I can buy new crockery/placemats etc and have people round! I am getting very impatient now.

The one problem with all this?

Picture this – a diary full of plans most days of the weekend and in the weeks ahead. How will I react to this scenario?
Do you know what, I’ll have the hump I’ve got too much on and just long for a quiet night in!

Never happy!

So, do other people get like this? When you’re busy and going out do you want to stay in and relax? Then when you’ve got quiet nights in do you wish to go out and party?

Or am I the only one and just never happy?

Let me know and if you’ve got any tips to get the perfect balance even better!

Busy doing nothing

I am currently lying on my sofa in front of Masterchef, wearing spotty patterned winter pyjamas eating chocolate and drinking tea. Sound pretty dull? Maybe so, but to me after the recent manicness that has been my life it feels like pure bliss.

You know what it's like, Christmas time inevitably means lots of social plans and your month fills up in no time with various parties, meals and general celebrations.

This month I have participated in a mixture of three client lunches, my work Christmas party, an 80s themed fancy dress 30th birthday party, a surprise baby shower, a Kasabian gig, a day trip to France, a Greek restaurant and visit to a z-list celebrity venue, numerous meals out catching up with people and of course trying to fit in Christmas shopping around it.

It has actually made me feel tired just reading all that back.

Still to come are another 30th birthday party, a surprise night out (an early Christmas present) and of course Christmas itself (so far we have four family days lined up). Oh and I've decided to take my niece and nephew to my office next week for our work Children's Christmas Day!

Now don't get me wrong there should really be nothing to moan about here. But...I am absolutely shattered. Yes, it's great to see lots of friends, have an active social life and celebrate festivities all through the month. To be able to even afford to do this in such recession heavy times is something I know I should feel lucky about.

On the flip side though I have put on so much weight, spent so much money and feel drained. I'm really worried that Christmas will get here and I'll be ill!

I haven't even got any plans for New Years Eve as yet, although that is another thing I could easily moan about - that pressure to always have an amazing night, when in reality most people end up getting overcharged and facing an anticlimax.

The joke is I know if I didn't have any plans I'd be moaning because my diary was empty. Never happy eh?

Although I have put on a ton of weight - all my clothes are tight already! (Oh did I add I have a dress fitting for my friend's wedding the first week in January too...at this point I'm just hoping I can make it through the door, let alone try on my bridesmaids dress!) I must say I have sampled some great food this month, something I'm reminded of watching Masterchef now...

A 12 dish extravaganza at Shoreditch House (of which featured salmon tartare and wild mushroom risotto), a humongous plate of scallops at Santini, amazing steaks, goats cheese, escargot, pollo al limone....the list really could go on and on.

For now though I'm afraid this blog is ruining my evening of doing nothing. So that's me done for now, off to enjoy some TV and might even treat myself to a soak in a lovely hot bubble bath and a facemask, it's a hard life...