An Antidote for Blue Monday

Does anyone else out there find January a generally miserable month? If so, you’re not alone. The third Monday of this month was coined “Blue Monday” back in 2004 by a psychologist working in Cardiff. He came to this somewhat quirky conclusion by taking into account various factors including dismal weather, level of debt and guilt from broken New Year’s resolutions, sprinkled a little maths magic over them and hey presto, came up with this date. It was then usefully used to market summer holidays. So, there you have it; science has told us we could be miserable on the third Monday of January.

However, while it is true that many of us do feel gloomy in January, partly due to the aforementioned reasons, there are plenty of ways we can positively combat the January blues and even turn this wintery season into a time of recharging for our souls and hence reinvesting in our businesses. Here at Craft Insurance, we know you, our amazing crafters, have so much talent and potential for the year ahead, so we’re offering you a small antidote to get over the January hump. We’ll give a few practical tips to boost your general well-being, share some funny stories and quips to make you laugh, and end with some suggestions to set your business on a positive pathway for the year.

In an age where twenty-four-seven productivity is both possible and expected across the globe, it can be helpful to reflect for a moment that lifestyles were not always as monotone in their output as this. In pre-industrial Britain, the year had a gentle and unchanging rhythm which revolved around the comfortably predictable nature of the seasons. Thus, January was a fallow month, where work outdoors could only be carried out during short daylight hours and both the soil and the labourers were gifted with enforced rest. This must have helped prepare them for the long hours and physical toil during the rest of the year. Today we have the ability and need to continue working at a regular rate throughout the year, but maybe there is wisdom we can learn from our predecessors’ slow month of semi-dormancy.

Many of us have an urge to curl up, like a hibernating animal during those cold, dark days. Maybe we need to take note of our bodies. While we can’t rest during our busy days, maybe January could be a month of more bubble baths, more mugs of warm tea and less hurried weekends. Maybe it could be a time when we simplify where we have the agency to do so. At the same time, it could be a month when we lean into the beauty of the barren landscape; take slow walks and linger to observe the delicate outline of the leafless trees. Even our biggest cities have parks which hold hidden gems at this time of year. Look for signs of hope; spring bulbs poking their green pointed heads above the wet turf, bulging buds on the tips of branches and the softly returning light. As we invest in ourselves in these small ways we may well find we have more energy to run in the days ahead.

If none of the above chases away the January blues, how about some good old-fashioned humour? The oft-quoted adage that laughter is the best medicine does have some basis in that as we laugh our bodies release endorphins, the happy hormones, and a decrease in stress hormones. A good, deep belly laugh brings us together with friends and boosts our mood. A trawl through Pinterest gifts us with a wonderful array of craft-related jokes and we’ve collected some definitions to describe common crafter quirks that might give you a chuckle:

Procraftination – crafting instead of doing all the things that need to get done.

Stash building; the frequent buying of craft supplies with no idea of what will be made with them.

Working on my PhD – Projects half Done.

My problem isn’t that I buy too many craft supplies. My problem is that I shop faster than I create.

I’m a craftaholic on the road to recovery: just kidding…I’m on the road to the craft shop.

Let’s admit it, we write “made with love” on our creations because “made with cursing, two trips to the craft shop and lots of wine” just won’t fit on the cute little label.

The final recommendation in our toolbox to beat the January blues is to take a positive step towards growing your business this year. If you are teetering on the edge of turning your hobby into a business, there will be some questions you’re bound to ask. One might be “Do I need insurance for my crafting business?” The short answer is probably yes, you do need insurance for your crafting business! However, as there are several different types of insurance and you don’t want to waste money unnecessarily, why don’t you drop us a line or pick up the phone and we will do our best to answer your question. Insurance can seem daunting and as such it is something which you may procrastinate, or indeed “procraftinate” in sorting out. However, Naomi and Sam have lots of experience in answering a multitude of queries, especially, “Do I need insurance for my craft business?” and they will help you get this ticked off your “to-do” list, thus moving you one step further towards turning your hobby into a thriving craft business!

We trust you’re now feeling a little more hopeful and even excited about opportunities to come. We’ll finish with a crafter’s blessing:

“May you never run out of storage space, may your scissors never dull, may your trimmer blades be ever sharp, and your ink pads always full. May all your card stock have two sides and may their corners never be bent; and may your husband never know exactly how much you spent. Amen”