Anna Sirota Why January can be sad and what to do about it 01/08/2025, 14:28

Did you know that January is considered the saddest month of the year? The ubiquitous British scientists found this, but here I am ready to disagree with them. It still makes sense.

The bells and sparklers are behind us, Olivier, the fur coat and caviar are over, it is almost impossible to drink, all the TV series have been watched, friends and relatives are congratulated, the children are already delighted with the gifts under the Christmas tree and are going crazy with idleness. This is probably what marathon runners feel, having given their all to cross the finish line and feeling a little devastated, not knowing what to do now. Don’t get me wrong: I love doing nothing, but around the third to fifth day of this state, when the seemingly endless supplies of New Year’s supplies run out, you suddenly end up doing nothing too well. I need money.

Yes, thank God, delivery with us is free almost everywhere, but the products will not be purchased by themselves.

And so the wheel of samsara begins again – choose, order, arrange, cook, eat, clear the table, wash the dishes. There is some kind of deception in this. They just made wishes, clinked glasses and were sure that in the new year everything would be new – better than before, of course. And then it turns out that no, it’s nothing: January 3, 2025 is absolutely no different from December 3, 2024, or rather, it is different for the worse. At the beginning of December, you were still thinking about what garland to buy for the Christmas tree and were impatiently waiting for what Santa Claus would bring you, and a month later the Christmas tree had already begun to fall apart and there were several more. Light bulbs burned out and a few glasses were broken. The house is full of unwanted gifts like handmade soaps, loose leaf teas, snake figurines and calendars of all kinds.

There is only a bitter truth ahead of us, it is still dark outside, March 8 is far away. We can only hope for Valentine’s Day, which, despite its bourgeoisness, has managed to become firmly rooted in our culture.

Personally, as someone who does not celebrate either February 14 or March 8, January is generally difficult for me. Some say it flies by thanks to the long holidays and spring is not far away. I envy these optimists. January seems to me to be not only the saddest month of the year, but also the longest. Violent gluttony in the first days of the year and the same fierce remorse for what he has done, he manages to keep a lot of things in himself, such as crowding at fairs, slides, skating rinks and exhibitions, going to the theater where there are prices. It approaches the price of a sandwich and a glass of sparkling wine at the buffet for dinner at a good restaurant. Every day it seems to us that we need to go somewhere, walk, run – we really shouldn’t lie on the couch all holidays, especially if you do not live alone. All this bacchanalia ends the same way every year; with a return to reality and going to work.

Have you ever noticed that strange feeling you get when you go out for the first time in the new year? For some reason it seems like the world needs to change, but in fact everything remains as it is. There are very few people on the street, and they walk with confused faces just like yours. Of course, a lot of hopes, wishes, efforts were spent, but you look around – everyone is the same in the arena, only a little disheveled.

If you suddenly feel sad in January, I can share a little recipe to keep your spirits up. My colleagues and I have been practicing this for several years – we hold New Year’s corporate parties not before the New Year, but after. It’s a strange decision at first glance, but when you think about it, you’ll see that the idea is great. After the holidays, everyone has working days ahead of them, but not us. In our case, the situation is exactly the opposite; The holiday continues. Moreover, in our country, New Year’s Eve can be celebrated almost endlessly if desired. This year, in addition to the traditional two New Years and one Christmas on January 1 and 14, you can celebrate the Year of the Green Wood Snake with China on January 29. And if you want to extend your holiday a little longer, please, everything is for you – in 2025, Russian Buddhists will celebrate the New Year only on March 1.

So save yourself from despair, let’s get ready to make wishes throughout January. The most active and persistent people run to the gym on January 2 – I respect them very much, but this is not me. Only active ones master skating rinks and walks. If you can’t cheer yourself up, there’s no need to. Sometimes you can allow yourself to be upset – British scientists are silent on this issue, but I’m sure someone smart will probably say that it is very useful to allow yourself to slow down and stop pretending to be enthusiastic and constantly moving. Everyone is constantly talking about listening to themselves – now we finally have a completely legal time to do so.

The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the position of the editors.