New year, same me. New Year’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I usually manage to keep myself awake until a few minutes after midnight. The evening is usually spent with just a couple of friends. It usually involves good snacks and some drinks. We spend New Year’s Day eating good comfort food, playing outside, and enjoying the feeling of a fresh start. I’ll take any excuse for a clean slate and empty page.
Today I’m recommending a few things to try in January. These are all very fitting for the month of January as we embrace the cozy season. I also avoided sharing any book recommendations because I just shared all the best books I read in 2021.
5 Things to Try in January
Don’t Look Up
If you haven’t already watched it, make some popcorn tonight and watch Don’t Look Up on Netflix. The movie is a satire and it feels very fitting to some of the things we’ve gone through as members of the human race in the last two years. The plot follows a comet that is racing towards Earth to destroy the planet and the different responses. The comet could easily be replaced by the pandemic or climate change and you’ll immediately understand the satire. The cast was incredible and my advice to you is to make sure you watch through the credits so you don’t miss the real ending.
Sex Lives of College Girls
Mindy Kaling is producing some of the best television right now, and this did NOT disappoint. This series is on HBO Max and follows four freshman girls during these first months of college. Each of them is dealing with their newfound freedom in a different way, but it’s absolutely wonderful. We binged the entire season in a couple of days.
I think the reason I loved it so much is that the conflict resolution we see in this show is the kind of interactions people need to see so badly. Parents are responding to their child’s struggles in a productive way. It seems healthier than so much of the TV I watched previously. There’s normal diversity and it just mirrors real life in a fantastic way.
Peloton Body Scan Meditation
I know – Peloton is a cultish trend. I’m a proud member for the last few months. But it wasn’t until the last few weeks that I really started trying their meditation. The app is the same price as some of those meditation apps, but it also has workouts, so I definitely feel like it’s worth it even if you don’t have a bike or treadmill.
Aditi and Dr. Chelsea are my two favorite meditation instructors. I’m comfortably doing 10-minute meditations a few times a week and working my way to 20 minutes. Trust me, I started with five and it was tough, but you get used to it. There are plenty of different options, like sleep meditations, energizing meditations, and seasonal meditations, but my favorites are the body scans. When I’m struggling to make my mind just be, it’s helpful to have ver intentional things to focus on. The body scans invite you to slowly focus on different parts of your body to help you relax. I feel more connected during those 10 minutes and it’s pretty powerful.
If you want to try it, you can get 60 days of the app for free right now using this invitation link. What could it hurt?
Comfort Food
One of the things I dislike about the New Year’s holiday is health resolutions that are super extreme. I think winter is the time of year that we should be comfortable and cozy. Eating bowls of pasta, thick soups, and hearty meals are in season for me.
We try to cut back a little on sugar during the month of January, but I definitely had a donut for breakfast this morning, so it’s not that strict. Don’t get me wrong, I love cheering people on with their health journey, but I think Americans have a strange relationship with food that can be extremely unproductive.
I allow myself to eat with the season and this season calls for comfort food. I got this cookbook for Christmas and I’ve already made a few of the pasta dishes. If you’re looking for more vegetarian-friendly ideas, these are our favorite cookbooks that we use every single week.
Fake Sun Products
I am not referring to tanning products. Anyone who has seen me will immediately know that I am not and have never been an authority on anything that makes me look darker than a shade of medium shade of pink. I’m referring to the things in my routine that have helped bring a little brightness to these short, dark days.
A Vitamin D supplement was recommended to me by my doctor in San Diego (the place where I thought Vitamin D would never be an issue). He says that the majority of patients he had were not getting enough. I’m not perfect about taking them every day, but I keep them by the coffee so I see them every morning.
Another day brightener is the Counter+ Vitamin C Serum that I’ve talked about before. It smells amazing and helps make my face a little brighter when it looks like I haven’t seen the sun in months. It feels a bit like when the vampires in Twilight stepped into the light, but without the glitter.
What are your January Recommendations?
Comment below and tell me some things to try in January. I’m always on the hunt for new podcasts, books, tv shows, and music – especially this time of year.
