Why January Often Feels Harder Than December

The first week back in January can feel strangely unsettling. The decorations are packed away, inboxes refill overnight, back to routine, yet many people notice they feel heavier or more irritable than they did during the busy month of December.

This can be confusing, as many of the cultural messages we receive within the media is that January should bring energy, motivation and a sense of renewal - "New Year, New Me!" and all that jazz.

Instead, January can be considered as an in-between space. The intensity of the festive season has ended, but the emotional and physical effects of it are still present. It is not a fresh beginning so much as a landing.

But landings and transitions can be uncomfortable.

December is often carried by adrenaline. Even for those who don’t enjoy or celebrate the season, there is structure and a clear endpoint to work towards. Social expectations, deadlines, family dynamics and financial pressure can push the nervous system into a sustained state of alertness.

When January arrives, the demands drop away, and suddenly the body has the time and space to register what it has been holding.

This is why January can feel heavier than expected. Tiredness surfaces, emotions that were postponed or distracted away begin to show up. For some, there is grief, for people they missed, relationships that were strained, or versions of the season they hoped for but didn’t experience. For others, there is a sense of emptiness or disconnection.

None of this means you are doing January “wrong”.

There is also often a pressure to feel ready. Ready to return to work at full capacity, to set goals, to feel positive. When that readiness doesn’t arrive on cue, it can often trigger self-criticism or judgements about why you may still be struggling when everyone else seems "back to normal". 

In reality, however many of us are quietly feeling the same way, but we rarely talk about it.

Human beings are not designed to switch instantly from intensity to productivity. After prolonged periods of stress or stimulation, the nervous system needs time to recalibrate. January is not a blank page, it is a continuation of what came before, and it carries residue.

So rather than treating this week as a test of motivation, it can be helpful to see it as a transition period. Transitions need time to adjust our pace, to re-establish rhythms and renegotiate expectations, whilst still feeling tired. When we allow for this, the emotional experience of January becomes more understandable, and less something to "fix".

In session, I often encourage curiosity instead of judgement. Noticing what feels present without immediately trying to change it can be grounding. That might mean acknowledging a sense of resistance to work, or recognising that social energy is lower than usual. It might mean accepting that concentration is patchy, or that motivation comes in shorter bursts. These are not failures, they are signals!

If you find yourself struggling during this first week back, it may help to soften the expectations you place on yourself. You don't need a clear plan for the year ahead. You do not need to feel inspired. You do not need to have recovered yet.

What you might need instead is steadiness, reassurance and permission to move more slowly than the calendar suggests.

Sometimes the most meaningful work happens not at the start of something new, but in the quiet moments after something ends. So January doesn't have to be about reinvention, it can instead be about reintegration, gently finding your footing again, at your own pace.

Happy New Year, I hope you have a restful, compasisonate January,

Laura