We all often expect to feel a bit low in January but did you know that what is referred to as “The January Blues” is also potentially a clinical illness called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). But even when low mood in deepest winter is not caused by SAD there are still many extra stresses and factors that can contribute to us all feeling low this time of year;

• Less sunshine hours
• Less time spent outdoors.
• Less exercise
• Family and friends on top of each other cramped up inside for extended periods
• Financial stress! Post-Christmas and Boxing Day sales credit card balances, higher heating bills and often holidays get booked this time of year
• Unpredictable and stressful driving conditions
• Failed New Year’s Resolutions 😉

Last week’s blog, we gave some tips on how to boss your finances in January, so hopefully you are managing to get on top of that, and alleviate some of that burden. But what other steps can you take to manage January more easily?

• If you can, try to take winter walks at the weekend. Just 20 mins can really help. But if you can’t because the weather is too rotten, then even just going for a drive in your car can help. It’s all about your brain registering sunshine.
• Get exercise when and how you can. A few star jumps in front of the telly is better than nothing!
• Arrange a trip or activity to look forward to, nothing weather dependent, but a change of scenery or new experience can shake away some of those blues. There are so many historic buildings and locations across Strathclyde, not to mention festivals and activities! It needn’t be costly.
• Give yourself extra time for car journeys, so that you aren’t running late coping with inclement weather. It can be tempting to chuck a kettle of boiling water over your windscreen and blast your heating to warm up the car quickly, but this can weaken or even damage your autoglass. Your windscreen with expand and contract with temperature fluctuations, so use warm water only and give yourself a few extra minutes to warm your car up more gently.

Chipped, cracked or damaged windscreens are sometimes unavoidable though so if you do experience any, Strathclyde are always on hand for top class, professional repairs and replacements. Call us: 01698 286428 or email: info@strathclydewindscreens.com

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