In March 2020, society ground open day to a halt, human face-to-face interaction ceased and the world went in to a lockdown.

​To some this is a moment that produced fear and anxiety of the threat to health, both physically and mentally. For others it was a time where the stresses and strains of everyday life were suddenly removed. We had no choice but to stay at home, metaphorically locked in to our houses to contain spread of the virus. With this, people began to find time to do something they may not ave done before; from a guilt-free day of boxset TV watching, learning a new instrument, to online video conferencing “pub quiz” style calls with friends and family. People kept in touch more than ever before using means of online interaction, including the world of the newest boom of social media at that time, TikTok.

Although there is no scientific evidence to support that ‘Blue Monday’ is physically a thing – with the Christmas come down, the dark nights, the challenges around keeping those New Year's resolutions, as well as the credit card bills falling on the doormat – these can all lead to feeling a bit low at this time of the year.

Additionally, I would personally argue, the New Year New Me “Dry January” or “Veganuary” can also be reaching its pinnacle point in habit formation, which can seem the most challenging – however it takes 21 days to begin habit formation – so we’re almost at that first healthy hurdle.

Click Read more for 5 top tips to beat those January BLUES:​

As the government reintroduces it’s work-from-home guidance, many are feeling their sense of normality slowly slipping, reversing back to the groundhog days of 2020.

Discussions of reverberating rules and restrictions echoing back and forth can lead one to feel exhaustion, fatigue and anxiety of the future. Recent research has found that although adherence to measures remains high, people are suffering with the seemingly backwards step so close to the festive holidays. This feeling of tiredness and exhaustion is termed “Pandemic Fatigue” or “Restriction Fatigue”, simply put - it’s at the point where short term measures and behaviour adaptations to the pandemic become longer term and longer lasting, without an end point in site. When the goal posts are moved and moved, the sprint becomes a marathon and the adherence to measures becomes more of longer lasting behaviour change, seeping in to our new sense of normality.
 
Psychologists have discussed how is best to cope with feeling of pandemic / restriction fatigue and the ways to adapt over the festive period. Collated are five ways one can try to keep mentally and physically well over the holiday season - SOULS; Sharing is caring, Out and active, Understand the facts, Look to the future, Strength in self-care.