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Uncommon sense - Taming the January blues

2022-01-14  Karlos Naimwhaka

Uncommon sense - Taming the January blues

It has become a norm and expected that January would always be a worrisome month. The fact that, as undesirable as it may be, it keeps repeating itself year after year says a lot about us as human beings. It says not only a whole lot about our behaviour but more about how this behaviour is a result of something deeper on a subconscious level.

There is always a specific behavioural pattern that keeps itself and no matter how much we try to manoeuvre to avoid those past bad experiences we find ourselves in a rather vulnerable position year in year out.

As they say, regret is always lastborn. Most of us may have planned and sworn that we will be smarter the next January.

However, as soon as the festive season begins, we seem to get to be infected by a spending bug of some sort.

We must also acknowledge that sometimes our budgets for the festive season are made in a sober state. However, when it comes to actual spending, some of our decisions are made when we are in a jovial and tipsy state.

This is when our rational thinking is hindered and in an altered unrealistic state of mind. This is to the point that one may make a decision that will have a dent on their budget only to regret it when they are sober.

In the altered state of mind, one may think that they can always plan or work something out to compensate for impulsive expenses only until regret shows up in the morning.

Surely, no one wishes to continuously suffer from regret as well as distress in the first month of the year.

Nor would it be anybody’s desire to start on such a note as it may already set a bad tone for the rest of the year. Experiencing a deficit in the first of the month may mean a continued cycle of financial distress for the rest of the year. Yet if it were to be reversed, the experience would be different, as one would be starting on a right foot into a year of financial prosperity.

There is no doubt that, in hard financial times, our financial woes become the biggest root of our mental “unwellness”.

At the same time, we blame ourselves and drown in the sea of regret, sometimes our position may also stem from circumstances and events beyond our control.

No self-blame and regret will get us out of our worries but compassion for ourselves, with hope and a will to turn things around. That this is only a season and, it too shall pass.

Our struggle with January and its blues is not just going to naturally disappear though. It will require us to do a lot of work. It may even require a whole lifestyle evaluation and overhaul.

It may also require us to review our mindset and subconscious programming towards finances. As much as it is a challenge, it is also an opportunity for growth and riddance of destructive beliefs and behaviour.

Truth is that this is easier said than done but with the right mental fortress, the results are undeniably greater; and one may never have to go through the misery of January blues ever again.

E-mail: karlsimbumusic@gmail.com


2022-01-14  Karlos Naimwhaka

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