JANUARY BLAHS

Winter brings out depression in the happiest of people. Anxiety loves to attack especially hard in the colder months when you are trapped indoors for fear of freezing off your skin, literally. The snow is blowing hard against your windows and you refuse to enter winter wonderland until you safely walk down your front steps without doing a Bambi impersonation. New Year's has come and gone with many being happy to say good riddance to another year and hello to a fresh new one. So many of us start off the new year with doubt and uncertainty. Dreadful changes do not always mean you have changed too. You need to learn to cope regardless.

I started off 2018, with some new friends and most of all, as you may know, I turned 50. I also decided to change my path slightly so I can emerge out of my rut before it swallows me whole. I still have the same goals, now I just know where I have to go to achieve them and with who. I don't make resolutions anymore, but instead, I make promises to myself, which I keep close to my heart. Not everyone needs to know my life's path or even wants to know. I understand that friends and family are a fantastic cure to get out of any slump, but books are very beneficial to grow and heal. You are able to dive into a world where problems don't exist. You can learn from the authors or characters wise inspiring words. So whatever is your rut reason, a horrible break up or loss of friendship, loss of a job or even a work-related dilemma, you should know are not alone in feeling this way. This new year will be a chance to start fresh, a clean slate. Focus on yourself, reflect and begin to feel better.

Now I need you to grab a cozy fluffy warm blanket and grab one of the following books, as each one has a unique way of helping anyone with a rut of any kind!



 Hyperbole and a Half by Allie BroshThis book will crack you up and may make you pee your pants with laughter! Lots of humorous comics, relatable themes and anecdotal stories that are rib breaking hilarious. The author makes you remember what it was like to have childlike wonder throughout the book. Her memoir will have you giggling even though she tackles some serious subjects including anxiety and depression. 


 The Singles by Meredith GoldsteinI have yet to experience this, but have you ever attended a wedding solo? Perhaps you have done this a few times even? Have you always been the bridesmaid, in that horrid gown, tacky shoes? Does your rut of yesteryear have anything to do with a perpetually single lifestyle, then read this book! You'll feel better when you are laughing at a character that you identify with.

 Bridget Jone's Diary by Helen Fielding
I am sure most of you have seen the movie, but the book will make you laugh more! Bridget Jone's and her granny underwear are on a doomed journey to find self-improvement. Her goals mixed with her ambition humorously fail beyond all expectations. If you can relate to her and her daily crazy antics, you will feel better about yourself knowing someone else has been there, done that. I think of her as an inspirational saviour for the majority of females! 
 What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self 

Editor Ellyn Spragins fills the pages with an amazing collection of letters written by women who are inspirational. Maya Angelou, Olympia Dukakis, Nora Roberts and Macy Gray are just a few that open up in this book. You will be reminded why the life you are living along with the difficulties at this moment are so important. You will realize it is all part of a process. You will begin to relate suddenly to these letters as you too have been "there". This book will let you see that even the most successful women, made similar mistakes as you. They too stumbled but they got back up as you can too. 

The Myths of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky

This book is better than Myth Busters. It really does target the idea of the happiness society has created, you know, the perfect marriage, 2.5 kids, money, the dream employment. WHO the hell has 2.5 kids besides a bad magician? The myth, of course, is being told that illness, staying single, no kids, financial crisis is FAILURE. As we headed into adulthood, of course, we felt like failures with those expectations. Thanks, society, you bunch of asswipes. If your rut is literally being or feeling lost in life and you can't fathom how to find happiness, you will not regret reading this book. 

 Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

I saved this gem for last as I am in love with Jenny Lawson. She has inspired me more than any other author and I relate to her. I am pretty sure we are blood sisters. She is seriously amusing with her "sailor" mouth and her honesty is touching. I think so many of us, especially those who fight the beast will see yourself in her, and you will appreciate your own story that much more. Your status is only temporary as in life nothing really is permanent. You too, one day, will look back on your life and laugh or maybe just pretend it never happened. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things, is her second book with equally funny, witty, anxiety-ridden laughter filled pages. I cherish these books and will not loan them out, as they are sacred to me. 


I hope that you find a relatable book within the ones I have shared as I love to read and normally share my books, just not my Jenny Lawson ones! I will add another list of books to read soon as I think books can be the friend you need who is always there, ready to be picked up and will allow you to laugh, cry and even be put on hold. Books are a lifeline so many of us require.