I'm a wellbeing expert - here's the ten unusual ways to beat the winter blues

So how would you know if you are suffering from the January Blues? It is more than just a feeling of being tired and having a lack of motivation to return to everyday life and routine after the holidays.

The signs can be both physical: a loss of appetite, stomach issues disrupted sleep, headaches and a general lack of interest in doing anything and mental: anxiety, low mood, low self-esteem and continuous negative thought patterns.

These destructive feelings can creep up on us without us always being aware so it's important that we stay in tune with ourselves so we can arm ourselves with ideas and thoughts of how to get ourselves through this period.

Good sleep patterns, exercise, healthy eating and generally looking after your overall health and well-being will always add a feeling of positivity to your everyday life and one, I would recommend. However, at this time of year some of us need an extra lift to get us through. When I asked my Instagram followers recently if they were affected by the January Blues 70 per cent said they were. So I then asked them if they had any unusual ways to help them get through this period? They came up with some really good ideas which I was keen to share with you.

Here they are

1. Host a dance party at home: invite a friend or small group of friends or family round to your home with the idea of holding a dance party in your living room or kitchen. Select some upbeat songs and enjoy dancing around your handbags in the middle of the room together. Or have a solo evening just you and your favourite music bopping around the room … I do that quite a lot.
2. Book clubs with a twist: Start a book club that focuses more on upbeat and comedic storylines. So, making reading and the subsequent book club meetings a shared joy.
3. Plant Parenting: Looking after houseplants and or even starting your very own indoor garden. This will not only brighten up your living space but also help to improve how you are feeling.
4. Use plenty of herbs and spices in your cooking: Nowadays there is a vast array of different herbs and spices at our disposal. They not only add extra flavour to our food but also offer several health benefits
5. Themed Movie Nights: it could be a cheap and fun idea to organise a movie evening around a specific theme complete with themed snacks and drinks.
6. Virtual Travel Experiences: Explore new places and destinations through virtual tours or cooking dishes from different cultures, this will help to add a sense of adventure from the comfort of your own home.
7. Outdoor Adventures: Embrace the winter weather, wrap up warm and try some different activities, like ice skating, hiking, winter fishing, or even outdoor swimming, all of this can be done while taking advantage of the winter scenery.
8. Gratitude Journaling: Keep a book to write down things that you are thankful for each day, this will help you to focus on the positive aspects of life rather than the negative, which is so easily done especially during the winter months.
9. Creative Cooking Challenges: Try out new recipes with unusual ingredients, this will help to make mealtimes more exciting and a little bit different to the norm.
10. Nurture your social relationships: Social relationships with family, friends and loved ones are so important and it is so easy to isolate yourself in the winter months particularly if money is short and you are feeling low, activities like a coffee indoors, a walk or meet up in the local park do not cost anything, and you will feel so much better for having done so.