17/01/2026
I find this time of year challenging; I feel low and unmotivated. I have been doing personal therapeutic work which involves spending time noticing what I am feeling, how it affects my body, and sitting and being with those experiences. From this work, I have recognised that feeling low and unmotivated connects to feeling sad.
I think that New Year and the concepts that come with it such as reflecting on the past year and making resolutions for the year to come, can create a container for not feeling great. Add to this the lack of sunlight, poor weather conditions, and lack of opportunities to get outside – no wonder we feel down.
I’ve recognised that I don’t like feeling sad, so I try to avoid these feelings when they arise. I do this by keeping busy, doom scrolling, watching TV, and comfort eating. Through the personal therapeutic work, I have learned that the sadness that I feel has been there for years and because I’ve been ignoring it, it has become stored in my body and is probably why I have irritable bowel syndrome and don’t sleep well.
I know where my feelings of sadness come from and how they impact me. I am now in the process of learning to make friends with these feelings, to welcome them when they come along, and to sit with them for as long as they need attention. This is challenging and sometimes I don’t manage be with them for very long; that’s okay because this is a journey that is without a destination.
I think most of us struggle with sadness. It is not encouraged or celebrated in our society. I think it’s because its linked to loss, death, and grief; the things that we fear most and unlike joy, sadness is not fleeting; it stays for a while because something difficult and challenging has happened to us.
If you are feeling sad now, take heart that you are not alone. I would encourage you to welcome it rather than try to escape it. Talking to people that you trust and feel safe with can help. Being kind and compassionate to yourself and allowing yourself space to rest and be can also work wonders.
Other things you can do are talking therapy, somatic therapy, body work, meditation, and mindfulness. They all help us to become more aware of what is taking place in the body and to understand why we are feeling the way we do.
If you are looking for a counsellor, I would suggest looking for someone registered with the BACP, UKCP, NCPS, or COSCA. Recommendations for others can be helpful, but I would read the counsellor’s information on their website and arrange an initial chat with them to decide if they are a good fit for you.
https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/
https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/using-our-therapist-directory/
https://www.cosca.org.uk/our-services/find-counsellor/find-a-counsellor
https://ncps.com/
