Beating the January Doldrums

As Florida residents, we’re accused of having no change of seasons. This is far from true. In the Spring, we definitely note the rise in humidity as we approach hurricane season. Fall brings some color changes to certain trees although they don’t drop leaves. The morning air gets cooler, and the autumn scent is in the air. Summer is our rainy season with daily showers and high humidity. I love the smell of impending rain and the march of angry clouds across the horizon. But winters are why we live in Florida.
I don’t complain if morning temps start out in the low sixties and rise to eighty by noon. Other transplanted Northerners may whine about the lack of cold, but not me! I grew up in New Jersey, and you can have the ice and snow. Winter here is delightful when it’s mild. In South Florida, you can smell orange blossoms as you stroll past manicured lawns. Brilliantly colored flowers grace the landscaping, and palm fronds wave in the breeze. So why would we experience doldrums under these ideal conditions?
It’s not as though we live up North where the days are short and so are the tempers. Some folks, I understand, love winter. Skiing, sledding, skating—you name it, they love bundling up with the sting of bitter cold in their nostrils. Other people hate the tedium of shoveling snow and sloshing through slush for endless gray days. But the one thing we all face is that the holidays are over and now it’s business as usual.
Yep, we have to get back to work after a hectic month of parties, gift exchanges, and feasts. The long winter stretches ahead. How can we make it through? (And how can we lose the weight we gained?)Here are a few suggestions:

• Stack up a pile of favorite books to read. Maybe you asked for them on your holiday gift list, or loaded them into your new ebook reader. But each evening, you’ll have something exciting to anticipate.
• Look for a new author who has written several books in a series you might enjoy. Try one, and get hooked on them all.
• Cozy up on the couch with some movies you’ve always wanted to watch or a television series that you can view from Season 1.
• Play with your new technology and learn how it operates. Cell phone? iPad? Nook?
• Take a class in a new subject.
• Start an exercise program or buy a new workout DVD. Use a Wii with exercise programs.
• Determine to eat healthy and try out new recipes, maybe take a cooking class with a friend.
• Join a book club, sewing circle, or knitting group, or volunteer your services, anything that gets you out of the house and into the company of others beside writers.
• Plan a vacation or a dinner party. Either way, figuring out the details will keep you busy in a happy way.
• Share the love. Shower your pet with affection. Call a friend you haven’t contacted in months. Do something special for a loved one.
• Set your goals for the New Year. Having a purpose will drive you forward.

What advice would you offer for beating the January jitters and the winter blues?