The January Slumps

Every January since I arrived here in London, they print the same article in all the papers about how crap this time of year is: a time of failed resolutions, bleak days, break ups and bad moods. What is left of the Christmas spirit is lying in the gutter waiting to be picked up by the local Council. An atmosphere of heavy gloom hangs over the city, as though gravity's pull has become stronger, turning down people's mouths and dragging their shoulders towards the pavement.

Now some utter nobody at Cardiff Uni has come up with a "forumula" to prove The True Shitness of January (this seems to be the latest media spin on making something completely undefinable sound more scientific): 1/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA

Where:

W = Weather
D = Debt
d = Money due in January pay
T = Time since Christmas
Q = Time since failed quit attempt
M = General motivational levels
NA = The need to take action

Well I can tell you now, Mr. "Part time tutor at Cardiff University" (it doesn't get more reputable than that), my M are at an all time low, the NA becomes more pressing as each day of non-action slips by, and the D isn't worth thinking about.

On the upside, the W has been pretty good, actually - there has been no real cold snap and I have been breaking into a sweat on the bike ride to work.

But truly, this year more than any other that I remember over here, I can appreciate what it is like to be deep in the January Slumps. Each day feels like an uphill struggle, and my creativity has taken a nose dive.

I got those January Slumps reeeeal bad.