The third week of January is considered to be the most depressing week of the year – it even starts with what we’ve come to know as ‘Blue Monday’. Our fun and relaxing festive break is a distant memory and we’re all back into the swing of normality, the daily commute, and our summer holidays seem a far-away dream. Add to that the dark evenings and – finally – the cold weather and it’s no wonder we all start feeling a little ‘blue’. I know I have.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here at Practically Positive Towers we’ve decided to make it a Joyous January and so we’re setting you a challenge to do something happiness-based for just 5 minutes each day to counteract ‘sad week’. We’ve listed some ideas below to give you an idea of the kind of thing you can do and we’ll be giving you a #JanuaryHappyWeek tip each day on our Twitter feed and Facebook page, so get following us now @PracticallyPos if you’re not already.

Happiness-based ideas for #JanuaryHappyWeek – try doing one of these things for 5 minutes each day next week.

Be grateful

Take a few minutes to think about all the things you have to be grateful for. Family, friends, a job, your health etc.

Help others

Make a colleague a cuppa, pop out and buy some biscuits or fruit for your colleagues, offer to help make dinner, take small surprise gift home for your loved one.

Sing out loud

Spend a few moments belting out your favourite feel good song.

Unplug from email and social media

Step away from your phone, laptop, pc, tablet etc. Just for 5 minutes. You can do it.

Sleep more

Go to bed 5 minutes earlier each night for a week – and stay off of technology before bed.

Think of something positive

Seeing your family when you get home, a night out with friends, a holiday you’re going to book/have booked, anything that will make you smile.

Get outside

Leave the office/home and go for a 5 minute walk, take deep breaths of fresh air and enjoy being outside.

Have a cuppa

Taking a few minutes to make a cuppa gives you space, you can use the time to do number 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 too!

Do some exercise

A quick burst of exercise will help wake you up and invigorate you – my 6 year old does this at school, they ‘wake and shake’ by getting up, singing a song with some actions, and then going back to work. If you can’t wake and shake then a few squats or lunges will do.

Meditate

Find somewhere quiet, even if it’s the bathroom, and sit quietly and concentrate on your breathing. There are lots of meditation apps out there, load one onto your phone and give it a try.

And above all else, SMILE. It might sound crazy, but smiling really does help make you feel happier.

You can read more ideas for having a happy start to the year in our ‘5 Ways to Make January Brilliant’, ‘5 More Ways to Make January Brilliant’, and ‘The 5 Habits of Happy People’ blogs.

We’d love to know how you get on, so please let us know via social media – don’t forget the #JanuaryHappyWeek hashtag. Make sure you have a great week!

Well being