How students can beat the January Blues
Turn your January into ‘Grinuary’
January. The villain of the calendar. Or is it? For students, January means being reunited with friends, celebrating the end of exams and, of course, making the most of the latest influx of student loan money.
Here are just a few ways that you can have a far from stereotypically miserable January.
Dry January? Not with these deals
While every man and his dog seem to be doing dry January, it’s time to admit your social calendar just can’t accommodate it. Instead, go against the grain and maximise on the food and drink offers currently available.
Step in from the cold and add a tropical twist to your month at Turtle Bay: book for two, buy a two-course meal and they’ll give you two free cocktails. Equally exotic is Revolucion de Cuba’s offer of 25% off drinks, and 50% off food.
Okay, that just covers Nottingham, but that doesn’t mean students in Bristol, miss out. You can try these delicious offers, instead.
Birmingham students, you can gorge yourselves with these offers.
Blue January? Not when it’s this sunny
If receiving your student loan has you feeling frivolous, January is a great time to book a holiday. For those planning a summer holiday, Love Holidays has 50% off a variety of package holidays. Portugal for £266 anyone?
Alternatively, if you’re looking for a last-minute city break, LastMinute.com is offering trips to Rome, Barcelona, Prague and Budapest for just £89. With these deals, the hardest bit will be organising your friends to agree a time and place, as opposed to watching the money just trickle out of your bank account.
For those staying closer to home, Virgin Trains have boosted their UNiDAYS deal to 50% off selected trains until 11th February. With Virgin services travelling up and down the country, this is a great opportunity to discover a new city, visit your family in style or check out your friend’s home town, and see if the night life there is really as crazy as they’ve been making it out to be!
Flabby January? Not looking this buff
Although January is synonymous with broken resolutions and unused gym memberships, it’s the thought that counts. So why not make the most of January deals, or that uni gym membership you bought at the start of term, and get back on the treadmill? Pure Gym offers students 20% off membership all year round. Plus, their flexible contracts mean you can sign up for a month, decide it’s not for you, and never show your face again, guilt free.
Alternatively, you could wait until Spring, when lighter nights and the increased pressure of your looming holiday make you much more likely to stick at it.
Bored January? Not feeling this good
If exercise fills you with dread, there are much better ways to release endorphins in this cold, winter month. For example, get a rush of good feelings by finding a volunteering opportunity. Not only will you feel great, knowing you’re helping others, you’re also giving your CV a boost.
Dingy February? Not looking this spick and span
If January Blues are putting you off leaving the house, you can have a change of scene closer to home by doing an early spring clean.
Taking down your Christmas decorations (ignore the housemate who says tinsel is for life and not just for Christmas) and investing in a few cheap accessories, such as cushions in the January sales, can transform your living space.
The start of term is also a great time to have a deep clean of your house before deadlines start eating up your time again. Though it may not be fun, a clean and aesthetically pleasing house is bound to boost your mood (and your landlord’s too)!
Rundown January? Not with this energy boost
Sometimes, making fun plans and fulfilling resolutions just isn’t enough to shake that January feeling.
During the winter months, it’s common for people to experience Vitamin D deficiency, due to lack of sunlight. This can be easily resolved with one vitamin tablet a day. Occasionally kick starting your day with a smoothie will also help boost your other vitamin levels while you wait for a sunny day and start maximising on the amazing deals January has to offer!