Be kind to yourself this January - it's the worst month of the year

I've been meaning to write a blog about the good things that January has to offer to cheer us all up. Needless to say I couldn't think of anything. I came up with plenty of bad things, though.

• It's cold, dark and raining


• Summer - and even spring - seem aeons away


• It's more than eleven months till Christmas


• It's ages since last payday. And since January drags on forever it's also ages till the next one


• Your partner is having fun on a snowmobile in Lapland while you're left tending the house (OK, that's just me)

So, what do we do to cheer ourselves up in this, the gloomiest of months? We launch ourselves into detox programmes, start exercising feverishly and make resolutions to give up all our favourite stuff. And all this while revising for mocks or AS levels if we happen to be teenagers.

We should be more like squirrels. They spend most of the winter sleeping - when they're not pampering themselves with little nutty treats that is. In fact, maybe that's what we're supposed to be doing. Look around you. It's dark all the time and your house is filled with leftover nuts from Christmas. A coincidence? I don't think so.

Here's my five-point plan on how to cheer yourself up this January.

1. Have a treat every day. One of those leftover truffles, a sliver of Christmas cake or a small sherry won't hurt, and it will make you feel so much better about the rest of the day's abstinence.


2. Book a holiday. If you've booked one already, pore over the brochure. If you can't afford one, enter a competition and google the destination to give you something to dream about.


3. Celebrate Burns Night. Good old Burns - thanks for giving us a reason to go out and have fun in depressing old January.


4. Go shopping. OK, you've missed the sales and you're broke, but time it right and your purchases will go on next month's credit card.


5. Find a snug pub with a log fire and enjoy the cosiness that only winter can bring.