January 9, 2026 • 12 mins
On this episode of “Tommy Talk,” Tommy discusses how to beat those pesky January Blues. The January Blues are something many of us feel without even realizing what they are. They're a dip in mood caused by the post-holiday quiet, dark mornings and nights, chilly weather, and the pressure of having an entire new year ahead of us to “start fresh.” We’re all trying to get back into our routines that make us feel good again. I’m sharing with you the ways to kick those January Blues out the door. Here’s what I do, and just as importantly, here is what I DON’T do. Let’s walk into this new year together, feeling our absolute best. If you’re in need of a little encouragement and a big hug to get the year going, this episode is for you.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey, guys, welcome to Tommy Talk. Today's topic is beating
those January blues. Okay, the January blues are real. It
is the post holiday crash, right. We're coming off of
so much adrenaline and fun and family and friends and gathering,
and then suddenly it feels like everything's gone, like it's
taken away. The decorations are down, all the massive events
(00:26):
that we were going to are no longer occurring, which
actually might be a good thing, because I don't know
about you, but I'm a little exhausted from the holidays.
But still, it's like all of those celebratory moments seem
to be gone. And the days are cold and they're dark,
and you take down your lights and it just feels gloomy.
I don't know. There's the January gloom. It's the January blues.
(00:48):
There's also the New Year, which means you feel pressure
to start fresh and reinvent your life and have all
these new goals and you have to go a million
miles a minute to start achieving them, and you're harder
on your bide, your body, in your mind, and your spirit,
and it's just like, can I get a second to recalibrate.
So all of that combined really makes you feel the
(01:09):
pressure and the intensity of what I call the January blues.
And that's when maybe some low energy comes into play.
Maybe you feel sad or irritable, perhaps there's a little
brain fog as you're coming back from the holidays, or
you don't feel as motivated because when you wake up
it's pitch black, and when you get out of work,
it's pitch black. So you're just trying to figure out
(01:30):
how to keep going, how to feel energized and motivated
and fabulous and fun while dealing with some pretty gloomy conditions.
And there are ways to kind of navigate that you
don't have to feel that way for January, February March
in the darkest times of winter. You can feel better
about yourself in these times when maybe the environment around
(01:54):
you is not making you feel so good. So here's
kind of what I do to beat the January blues.
I'm no guru, but maybe this will help you and
it can help you feel I don't know, motivated and
not like you're on this weird crash from the post
holiday season. So, as you heard from my last timey talk,
I'm not a super big New Year resolution kind of guy.
(02:15):
I think it sets you up for failure, and I
think that it can be a little intense with putting
that much pressure on yourself. I'm more of a let's
work on goals throughout the year and always try to
better ourselves so that we don't have to crash it
all into one month and one period of time, because
that feels like a lot. Who needs that? Not me?
So when I want to work towards those goals, when
I want to achieve those things, I like to focus
(02:37):
on one small thing per day, right. I am a
fanatic about a day planner. If you don't have a
day planner that you can write down your things in,
I highly suggest it. I get mine off Amazon. It's
like sixteen bucks. It is nothing fancy, but I write
my days out in it. And there is nothing more satisfying,
you guys than checking something off. Oh yeah it is ooh,
(03:01):
I'm getting riled up thinking about it. I love putting
a line through something or a little check mark next
to something because it's like, yeah, I did that, I
feel good, I feel accomplished. It's totally mental, but I
love it. My planner I travel with my planner. I
just like it organizes my life. It's like a free assistant.
Why wouldn't you want a free assistant? I understand the
Apple phone. You can put everything in and share calendars
(03:22):
and all of that. I get it, and I do it.
Geo and I do that. We have a joint calendar.
I have a work calendar, but I still write everything down.
There is nothing like writing it down and visualizing it.
And then if you really want to get crazy, there's
a month view. So you have your daily view where
you can write things in, but then you turn the
page and there's a whole month at a time. And
that for me is like the most exciting thing because
(03:43):
I can write things and see it all in one place.
So highly suggest a day planner. Totally went off on
a tangent there, but focusing on one small thing per
day feels attainable, especially when you can see it on
a list and check it off. So don't take everything
all at once. It's okay, okay, right. You don't have
to be like I need a million resolutions. You don't
need resolutions. Make intentions, make kind of things you're working towards, right,
(04:07):
little goals, little things, one small thing per day, one
small thing per day. Also, you know, we put so
much pressure, and I put so much pressure on myself
to be super productive all day long, and that inevitably
will lead me to have a mental crash or a
mini breakdown, usually in my kitchen where my friends are.
(04:28):
GEO have to be like, you're doing great, Like stop it,
knock it off. You're doing great because we do put
so much pressure on productivity and I need to accomplish this,
and I need to do that. And then my mind
spins and we're doing the best we can. We are
all doing the best we fricking can. So instead of
defining your worth and your value by how productive you are,
look at what you have done already and be like,
(04:50):
I'm a boss. I did that. I am a badass
bitch because I already did X, Y and Z, and
maybe I didn't get to the other things, but I will.
But look what I did. Like, we, folks, your energy
and attention on that so that you actually feel like, Wow,
I'm doing some good things. Trust me, when you pay
attention to what you've accomplished, you then actually have more
space to go after the things you haven't done yet.
(05:12):
Because you feel like your own hype man or your
own hype woman. We don't always need someone to be
that for us. We can be that for ourselves. So
be your own hype man or your own hype woman.
I do like New York's dark Y'all New York is dark,
So I do try to get some sort of light outside,
whether it's sun hitting my face for ten minutes on
my walk to the gym, or I take a little
extra route to feel a little sunshine. There is something
(05:34):
to be said for sun hitting your face. If you
can do that for ten minutes at some point, go
for it. And if you can because you leave too
early for work and you get back and it's dark,
they have little like lights that you can buy on Amazon.
I kind of mimic sunlight to boost your mood. Definitely
worth checking out. There's some real science behind that. I'm
not going to get into that. I'm not a doctor,
(05:54):
but that kind of light exposure is really good. Get
out and walk, like, get out and walk, bundle up.
I don't care if it's twenty nine degrees or twelve degrees.
Put on a hat and a scarf and gloves and
forty five layers and get outside and walk and feel
fresh air in your lungs. Like, just get out. You
don't want to be cooped up in your house all
the time. You need to feel nature. You need to
feel you know, a breeze, you need to hear leaves
(06:17):
or twigs blowing. I mean, it's therapy. Walking is therapy.
Not everybody has insurance that covers therapists unfortunately, which that's
a whole other time we talk, because everyone should have
accessibility to that. But get outside and take a walk,
because it really is like free therapy. It's the best
thing you can do, even in the gloomy weather. I
try to get out as much as I can, especially
on weekends. I try to take longer walks. It resets everything.
(06:42):
And then also like, enjoy those cozier moments of your life, right,
Enjoy when you can sit down with the book or
curl up with the great blanket and a cup of
something warm. Enjoy the quiet. You can have a quiet moment.
Like I said earlier, you don't always have to be
like I need to be the most productive person twenty
four to seven. Enjoy a moment for you if that
brings you joy and peace, do it. Listen to your
(07:03):
favorite music or podcast hopefully this one, or an audiobook
or read a book like whatever that is for you.
Just do it. Just do it, and pay attention to
how you feel, like check in with yourself. What do
I mean more of right now? I don't do this.
I don't do this. And remember I referenced a said
breakdown usually in my kitchen. That's when it happens when
(07:24):
I'm not in tune with like what I need or
what I want in that moment to make me feel
balanced or whole, Like check in with yourself along the way.
I'm working on it. You guys, I'm not perfect. But
if you can start saying, Okay, how am I feeling today?
Does this make me feel good? Does this make me
feel bad? You can start kind of catching yourself before
(07:44):
you fall. So checking in with ourselves is a really
really important part. And whether that's journaling, like if that
helps you sort out your feelings, awesome. I'm not really
a journaler. I kind of talk to you know, whatever's
out there, God, the Holy Spirit, angels, Spirit guides all
(08:04):
of it. And yes, I believe in all of the above,
so I talk to all of it, all of them.
I should say. It's just like again, it's kind of
like free therapy. Just have a conversation. Sometimes I probably
look crazy walking around New York because I do tend
to do that when I walk sometimes. So if you
see me talking to myself and probably saying some prayers
or checking in with the other side or something like that,
But have emotional check ins with yourself and you know,
(08:28):
and make sure that you're able to keep in touch
with whatever makes you feel connected to this moment right here,
right now. Like I have relatives that pass I talk
to them. It makes me feel good, it makes me
feel sane, it makes me feel connected. So if things
get crazy, I ask them for advice. All right, I'm
not gonna go in a whole other spiritual direction now,
But that's another thing. Here are the things that you
(08:50):
shouldn't doo in January. And I'm gonna make this one
shorter because I don't want to harp on the negative.
But like, guys, don't overhaul your entire life. Like, don't think,
oh my god, everything's going to change starting in January.
It's not. It's not gonna all change. I'm sorry, it's
just not. Maybe something can change. Maybe you're working towards something,
and it does show promising signs of change, and I
(09:13):
love that. I love that for you. But you're not
going to overhaul your entire life in thirty days of
a month or you know, three weeks or two weeks.
It's just not going to happen. I should say thirty
one days of the month. You think I would know
that because January is my birthday month. So in thirty
one days of the month, you're not going to overhaul
your life. I told you all this is not edited,
(09:33):
and I feel like this is my long train of
thought today, but I'm kind of here for it because
I'm repped up on beating the January blues together. So
don't overhaul your entire life. Don't compare your your highlight
reel to other people. We do that with social media.
You don't know what people are going through. They're posting
what they want you to see. You don't know how
shittyer or great their life is. You don't know, and
(09:54):
it doesn't matter. Focus on your life. Don't compare yourself.
Focus on what you want to achieve, the things you
want to make you happy in life, and what makes
you feel good. Don't compare yourself to other people's highlights
highlight reels, because they're not true, they're not real. And
don't shame yourself. If you're feeling your little like low
energy coming out of the holidays and you're trying to
(10:15):
get your shit together, it's okay. It's okay. I promise
you you're not alone. You're going to get there. Know
that you want to get out of it, Know that
you want to work on getting to a better place,
because I want that for everybody. But don't beat yourself up.
It's okay, you're going to get there. The month is
just begun one day, right, progress not perfection, So nobody
(10:38):
wants the January blues. I certainly don't want the January blues.
So I hope today is a little reminder that there
are things you can do to kind of get you
out of your funk or make you feel better about yourself.
But also at the same time, don't beat yourself up
for feeling like you're still in that transitional period from
last year to this year, because it's a very real thing.
It truly, truly is. And enjoy This is hard for
(11:01):
me to even say, because I get really anxious this
time of year. I'm like, all right, I'm ready for spring.
I'm done with the winter. What the heck? But enjoy
this time of year for what it is, right, enjoy
it for what it is. Soon enough, it will be
hot and we'll all be loving the summer. It goes
very fast, so enjoy a cozy night in with friends
or an intimate dinner party at your house. But also
make sure you're filling your cup in the ways you
(11:22):
need to fill to beat those winter blues. So we're
all in this together. Baby, I see you, I feel you.
Let's beat those damn winter blues and have a great
rest of the month. Progress not perfection, Progress not perfection,
Progress not perfection. I've Never said this before. Is hosted
(11:43):
by Me, Tommy Didario. This podcast is executive produced by
Andrew Povlici at iHeartRadio and by Me Tommy, with editing
by Joshua Colaudney I've Never Said this Before. It is
part of the Elvis Duran podcast network on iHeart Podcasts.
For more, rate review and subscribe to our show and
if you liked this episode, tell your friends. Until next time.
(12:06):
I'm Tommy Didario.
Hey, guys, welcome to Tommy Talk. Today's topic is beating
those January blues. Okay, the January blues are real. It
is the post holiday crash, right. We're coming off of
so much adrenaline and fun and family and friends and gathering,
and then suddenly it feels like everything's gone, like it's
taken away. The decorations are down, all the massive events
(00:26):
that we were going to are no longer occurring, which
actually might be a good thing, because I don't know
about you, but I'm a little exhausted from the holidays.
But still, it's like all of those celebratory moments seem
to be gone. And the days are cold and they're dark,
and you take down your lights and it just feels gloomy.
I don't know. There's the January gloom. It's the January blues.
(00:48):
There's also the New Year, which means you feel pressure
to start fresh and reinvent your life and have all
these new goals and you have to go a million
miles a minute to start achieving them, and you're harder
on your bide, your body, in your mind, and your spirit,
and it's just like, can I get a second to recalibrate.
So all of that combined really makes you feel the
(01:09):
pressure and the intensity of what I call the January blues.
And that's when maybe some low energy comes into play.
Maybe you feel sad or irritable, perhaps there's a little
brain fog as you're coming back from the holidays, or
you don't feel as motivated because when you wake up
it's pitch black, and when you get out of work,
it's pitch black. So you're just trying to figure out
(01:30):
how to keep going, how to feel energized and motivated
and fabulous and fun while dealing with some pretty gloomy conditions.
And there are ways to kind of navigate that you
don't have to feel that way for January, February March
in the darkest times of winter. You can feel better
about yourself in these times when maybe the environment around
(01:54):
you is not making you feel so good. So here's
kind of what I do to beat the January blues.
I'm no guru, but maybe this will help you and
it can help you feel I don't know, motivated and
not like you're on this weird crash from the post
holiday season. So, as you heard from my last timey talk,
I'm not a super big New Year resolution kind of guy.
(02:15):
I think it sets you up for failure, and I
think that it can be a little intense with putting
that much pressure on yourself. I'm more of a let's
work on goals throughout the year and always try to
better ourselves so that we don't have to crash it
all into one month and one period of time, because
that feels like a lot. Who needs that? Not me?
So when I want to work towards those goals, when
I want to achieve those things, I like to focus
(02:37):
on one small thing per day, right. I am a
fanatic about a day planner. If you don't have a
day planner that you can write down your things in,
I highly suggest it. I get mine off Amazon. It's
like sixteen bucks. It is nothing fancy, but I write
my days out in it. And there is nothing more satisfying,
you guys than checking something off. Oh yeah it is ooh,
(03:01):
I'm getting riled up thinking about it. I love putting
a line through something or a little check mark next
to something because it's like, yeah, I did that, I
feel good, I feel accomplished. It's totally mental, but I
love it. My planner I travel with my planner. I
just like it organizes my life. It's like a free assistant.
Why wouldn't you want a free assistant? I understand the
Apple phone. You can put everything in and share calendars
(03:22):
and all of that. I get it, and I do it.
Geo and I do that. We have a joint calendar.
I have a work calendar, but I still write everything down.
There is nothing like writing it down and visualizing it.
And then if you really want to get crazy, there's
a month view. So you have your daily view where
you can write things in, but then you turn the
page and there's a whole month at a time. And
that for me is like the most exciting thing because
(03:43):
I can write things and see it all in one place.
So highly suggest a day planner. Totally went off on
a tangent there, but focusing on one small thing per
day feels attainable, especially when you can see it on
a list and check it off. So don't take everything
all at once. It's okay, okay, right. You don't have
to be like I need a million resolutions. You don't
need resolutions. Make intentions, make kind of things you're working towards, right,
(04:07):
little goals, little things, one small thing per day, one
small thing per day. Also, you know, we put so
much pressure, and I put so much pressure on myself
to be super productive all day long, and that inevitably
will lead me to have a mental crash or a
mini breakdown, usually in my kitchen where my friends are.
(04:28):
GEO have to be like, you're doing great, Like stop it,
knock it off. You're doing great because we do put
so much pressure on productivity and I need to accomplish this,
and I need to do that. And then my mind
spins and we're doing the best we can. We are
all doing the best we fricking can. So instead of
defining your worth and your value by how productive you are,
look at what you have done already and be like,
(04:50):
I'm a boss. I did that. I am a badass
bitch because I already did X, Y and Z, and
maybe I didn't get to the other things, but I will.
But look what I did. Like, we, folks, your energy
and attention on that so that you actually feel like, Wow,
I'm doing some good things. Trust me, when you pay
attention to what you've accomplished, you then actually have more
space to go after the things you haven't done yet.
(05:12):
Because you feel like your own hype man or your
own hype woman. We don't always need someone to be
that for us. We can be that for ourselves. So
be your own hype man or your own hype woman.
I do like New York's dark Y'all New York is dark,
So I do try to get some sort of light outside,
whether it's sun hitting my face for ten minutes on
my walk to the gym, or I take a little
extra route to feel a little sunshine. There is something
(05:34):
to be said for sun hitting your face. If you
can do that for ten minutes at some point, go
for it. And if you can because you leave too
early for work and you get back and it's dark,
they have little like lights that you can buy on Amazon.
I kind of mimic sunlight to boost your mood. Definitely
worth checking out. There's some real science behind that. I'm
not going to get into that. I'm not a doctor,
(05:54):
but that kind of light exposure is really good. Get
out and walk, like, get out and walk, bundle up.
I don't care if it's twenty nine degrees or twelve degrees.
Put on a hat and a scarf and gloves and
forty five layers and get outside and walk and feel
fresh air in your lungs. Like, just get out. You
don't want to be cooped up in your house all
the time. You need to feel nature. You need to
feel you know, a breeze, you need to hear leaves
(06:17):
or twigs blowing. I mean, it's therapy. Walking is therapy.
Not everybody has insurance that covers therapists unfortunately, which that's
a whole other time we talk, because everyone should have
accessibility to that. But get outside and take a walk,
because it really is like free therapy. It's the best
thing you can do, even in the gloomy weather. I
try to get out as much as I can, especially
on weekends. I try to take longer walks. It resets everything.
(06:42):
And then also like, enjoy those cozier moments of your life, right,
Enjoy when you can sit down with the book or
curl up with the great blanket and a cup of
something warm. Enjoy the quiet. You can have a quiet moment.
Like I said earlier, you don't always have to be
like I need to be the most productive person twenty
four to seven. Enjoy a moment for you if that
brings you joy and peace, do it. Listen to your
(07:03):
favorite music or podcast hopefully this one, or an audiobook
or read a book like whatever that is for you.
Just do it. Just do it, and pay attention to
how you feel, like check in with yourself. What do
I mean more of right now? I don't do this.
I don't do this. And remember I referenced a said
breakdown usually in my kitchen. That's when it happens when
(07:24):
I'm not in tune with like what I need or
what I want in that moment to make me feel
balanced or whole, Like check in with yourself along the way.
I'm working on it. You guys, I'm not perfect. But
if you can start saying, Okay, how am I feeling today?
Does this make me feel good? Does this make me
feel bad? You can start kind of catching yourself before
(07:44):
you fall. So checking in with ourselves is a really
really important part. And whether that's journaling, like if that
helps you sort out your feelings, awesome. I'm not really
a journaler. I kind of talk to you know, whatever's
out there, God, the Holy Spirit, angels, Spirit guides all
(08:04):
of it. And yes, I believe in all of the above,
so I talk to all of it, all of them.
I should say. It's just like again, it's kind of
like free therapy. Just have a conversation. Sometimes I probably
look crazy walking around New York because I do tend
to do that when I walk sometimes. So if you
see me talking to myself and probably saying some prayers
or checking in with the other side or something like that,
But have emotional check ins with yourself and you know,
(08:28):
and make sure that you're able to keep in touch
with whatever makes you feel connected to this moment right here,
right now. Like I have relatives that pass I talk
to them. It makes me feel good, it makes me
feel sane, it makes me feel connected. So if things
get crazy, I ask them for advice. All right, I'm
not gonna go in a whole other spiritual direction now,
But that's another thing. Here are the things that you
(08:50):
shouldn't doo in January. And I'm gonna make this one
shorter because I don't want to harp on the negative.
But like, guys, don't overhaul your entire life. Like, don't think,
oh my god, everything's going to change starting in January.
It's not. It's not gonna all change. I'm sorry, it's
just not. Maybe something can change. Maybe you're working towards something,
and it does show promising signs of change, and I
(09:13):
love that. I love that for you. But you're not
going to overhaul your entire life in thirty days of
a month or you know, three weeks or two weeks.
It's just not going to happen. I should say thirty
one days of the month. You think I would know
that because January is my birthday month. So in thirty
one days of the month, you're not going to overhaul
your life. I told you all this is not edited,
(09:33):
and I feel like this is my long train of
thought today, but I'm kind of here for it because
I'm repped up on beating the January blues together. So
don't overhaul your entire life. Don't compare your your highlight
reel to other people. We do that with social media.
You don't know what people are going through. They're posting
what they want you to see. You don't know how
shittyer or great their life is. You don't know, and
(09:54):
it doesn't matter. Focus on your life. Don't compare yourself.
Focus on what you want to achieve, the things you
want to make you happy in life, and what makes
you feel good. Don't compare yourself to other people's highlights
highlight reels, because they're not true, they're not real. And
don't shame yourself. If you're feeling your little like low
energy coming out of the holidays and you're trying to
(10:15):
get your shit together, it's okay. It's okay. I promise
you you're not alone. You're going to get there. Know
that you want to get out of it, Know that
you want to work on getting to a better place,
because I want that for everybody. But don't beat yourself up.
It's okay, you're going to get there. The month is
just begun one day, right, progress not perfection, So nobody
(10:38):
wants the January blues. I certainly don't want the January blues.
So I hope today is a little reminder that there
are things you can do to kind of get you
out of your funk or make you feel better about yourself.
But also at the same time, don't beat yourself up
for feeling like you're still in that transitional period from
last year to this year, because it's a very real thing.
It truly, truly is. And enjoy This is hard for
(11:01):
me to even say, because I get really anxious this
time of year. I'm like, all right, I'm ready for spring.
I'm done with the winter. What the heck? But enjoy
this time of year for what it is, right, enjoy
it for what it is. Soon enough, it will be
hot and we'll all be loving the summer. It goes
very fast, so enjoy a cozy night in with friends
or an intimate dinner party at your house. But also
make sure you're filling your cup in the ways you
(11:22):
need to fill to beat those winter blues. So we're
all in this together. Baby, I see you, I feel you.
Let's beat those damn winter blues and have a great
rest of the month. Progress not perfection, Progress not perfection,
Progress not perfection. I've Never said this before. Is hosted
(11:43):
by Me, Tommy Didario. This podcast is executive produced by
Andrew Povlici at iHeartRadio and by Me Tommy, with editing
by Joshua Colaudney I've Never Said this Before. It is
part of the Elvis Duran podcast network on iHeart Podcasts.
For more, rate review and subscribe to our show and
if you liked this episode, tell your friends. Until next time.
(12:06):
I'm Tommy Didario.
Elvis Duran and the Morning Show ON DEMAND News
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