My Top 5 Practical January Tools for Staying Sane
How to make sure we take care of ourselves in the month that is cold and dark? Here are my 5 top tools for how to stay sane in January.
1. Light therapy lamp (fototerapeutická lampa)
💡 Let there be light! Recommended by my doctor friend, I use this lamp as my own personal sun (I really wanted to write “Jesus”) to illuminate the dark, long, sunless January days. I lamp myself 1-2 hours each day while working at my desk or watching a show. This is the one I use if you wanna check it out:
2. St. John’s wort pills by Kneipp (třezalkové tablety)
🌿 It’s a mild herbal antidepressant you can get over the counter at any pharmacy and another great recommendation by my doctor friend. At home, we call it, exaggeratedly, a “happy pill”. But another friend nailed describing the effects, “It’s not that I suddenly become super happy and optimistic. I just don’t want to kill my three children when they are destroying the house.”
3. Headspace Meditation App
🌞 I always circle back to praising this app and the mindfulness concept in general. Depending on my schedule, I meditate every day in the evening or morning and try to do 20 minutes each time. Some days I manage only 3 minutes, though. Meditation practice helps me process my thoughts and emotions and not take them too seriously.
4. Move – 30 Days of Yoga
🧘♀️ Yoga with Adriene is another mindfulness imperium. For the past 8 years, Adriene has prepared each January a 30-day yoga journey and shares a video each day on her YouTube channel. I also subscribe to get the newsletter specially made for the practice. It offers some food for thought, deepens the experience, and takes it beyond the physical.
5. Session with a Psychotherapist
🌱 January can be challenging. It’s cold and dark, and everyone has a lot on their plates. In these moments, I like to meet with my therapist Radka at the Gaudia center at Žižkov and process my thoughts with her help, instead of lying them on my closest or holding them in.
If you’re looking for an English-speaking therapist, you can try my friend Tina. She works as a soft skills lecturer focusing on communication in all forms, conflicts, and stress management, and she’s a therapist at regional addictology ambulance for children and adolescents in Ústí nad Labem. You can call and schedule an online session with her:
📞 +420 739 161 747
You can also look at this list of centers and psychotherapists I put together:
Stay in touch
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🤔 And what helps you to stay in good mental and physical health during the winter months? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on my Facebook or Instagram.
