Beating the January Blahs

To beat the Winter Blues - I invite a bunch of my girl friends over - we all wear blue PJ's, read funny stories and watch an uplifting movie like Pollyanna. Nothing chases away those "blues" than good fellowship and laughter.  

Every January 1st I start 40 days of fasting and praying about how God wants to use me in the upcoming year.  The fasting part is always different, but it always comes from Him and it's always something that is or could be an idol.  I hear so much from the Holy Spirit in those 40 days there's just no time for winter blues!

I think one of the best ways to beat the "winter blah" is to STOP THINKING OF YOURSELF!  Do something nice for someone, keeping with the spirit of giving usually held during the holidays.  Visit someone in a nursing home, say a kind word to someone on the street or in the grocery store, bake cookies for your single friend, or offer to babysit for the burnt out single mom.  BE CREATIVE!  

Share the love of Jesus in a practical way, and you'll be sure to feel better.

This is for those with the January Blahs. I attend a mens group regularly, I have been going through a lot of hard things that were keeping me held down, (a divorce and then death of a loved one) basically I have been moping for the last two years, struggling with depression. Last night at the mens group I told another man about all the things God has done for me, not just one testimony but ever since I got saved, I talked for hours. I thought it was to motivate him, nope, it was for me. I retold every blessing, every intervention every thing I could think of that God had done for me. It was so much more than I had been looking at. I awoke this morning, thinking about all my failures but through a different light, I see them differently, they lost there power over me. Telling my friend all that God has done stoked the fires of faith in my heart for our awesome savior and today I feel like I could storm the gates of hell alone and shake the gates till satan comes out so I can kick his butt and take back all that he has taken from me, of course I know I cant do anything without Jesus but with Him I can do all things. so remember all God has done for you and count your blessings if you can count that high

In reference to the segment on Lamest Excuses to Not Losing Weight, don't think of it as a diet, but as a change to your way of life.  In June 2010, my husband and I made a complete food change.  We stopped eating as many processed foods, specifically processed sugars and flours, and just tried to think before we put anything in our mouth.  We would ask ourself,"is it really worth eating this?"  Over a period of about 6 months, we both lost 30 pounds each.  And best of all, we have kept those 30 pounds OFF.  I read labels of EVERYTHING now.  If it has a lot of "stuff" on the ingredient list (especially "stuff" I can't pronounce) I shy away from it.  And I rarely buy already made sauces, dressings. I found it's just as easy to make my own and know exactly what I'm putting in them.  It has been a "way of life" change for my entire family!

Physical activity like cross country skiing at sun rise when you can see any number of God's creatures going about their lives, like deer, rabbits and squirrels.

Funny...I was feeling pretty blah and overwhelmed with many difficulties my loved ones and I are going through...so I did what I know to do...immerse myself in the truth of God's Word, then put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  I turned on KLOVE for the garment of praise and you were saying, "What do you do to overcome the January blahs?"  I chuckled, because I had just turned on positive, encouraging KLOVE which is one of the things I always do to overcome any blahs, drown out the lies of the enemy, and get my focus centered on the Lord.  Thanks, KLOVE!  You are a constant blessing!

I live in Montana.  It gets cold in winter here.  A friend told me how she embraces the short winter days and long nights.  She pulls out all of her warmest nighties and pjs.  She also pulls out all of the books she's been wanting to read, especially those that focus on her own faith and its development.  She looks forward to this time of year as a "set aside" for HIM. Every evening she snuggles up with a book she has been longing to read.  She looks forward to this time of year.  For me, I look forward to being an all around better steward of all of my resources including my body.  I bought an inexpensice piano tutorial and will bring out my water color paints.  I am setting aside time for HIM and time for my own joy. I am also epecting miracles...big and small.  Tuning my faith and attitude in 2012 so to speak...