I know what you’re thinking, that this is just another New Year’s resolution post, with a long list that will all be given over at first light, but this is not that at all. This is about survival. January is long, dark, cold, and for the teachers/ healthcare providers/ service workers/ parents/ and everyone else functioning through this pandemic all around the globe, a tough month. So besides my all-the-time best-advice to start each day with Yoga with Adriene, I am going to share 5 survival tips I plan to use to face all that gets dished out, piled on, and added on to this rugged month.

I get a kick out of all the headlines about the sober curious. Seriously? Are we such a nation of alcohol dependency that people aren’t sure how to stay sober? Well, if you need some help after a December of holiday extravaganzas, I am right there with you. So, let me tell you what’s happening in our house. Find something really extravagant and delicious and nonalcoholic to sip, at your food coop or along the health food aisle of your grocery store; anything botanical will do the trick. Fill your best martini glass and savor that yummy elixir during your mocktail hour. The whole point it to relax at the end of your day, glass in hand, and still love yourself tomorrow. #1 tip.

Although COVID has restricted my desire to do much of anything indoors, for me, swimming is a must-do activity. Thankfully, this facility is for the fully vaccinated, mask-wearing up to the point of diving-in establishment. Limited locker room time too. Armed with my booster and mask, I brave it twice weekly. Swimming makes me smile, instantly makes me feel like a kid, and is a painless and weightless workout. I am aware of my great fortune every time I slip beneath the surface. Kick it all away however you can. Tip #2.

Literature will allow your imagination to soar into other worlds and concerns and times. Escape into a good book, and if you give over a solid hour or two to such an occupation, I guarantee you will leave behind the stress and strain of your day to day, even in this brutal month. Add a cup of cocoa with marshmallows to the experience and you will most certainly be transported into a swift bliss. A good story is magic. Tip #3.

Citrus. Make juice or eat your orange in slices or peel a grapefruit. Tis the season to indulge in this rich immune-system booster. One cut and your senses will be filled with sweetness. There is never a bad time to include fruit in your diet, but January demands you do it, figuratively screams for ORANGE JUICE. I suggest Honeybells for their blended celestial taste. Eat an orange, every day. Tip #4.

Probably the best part of my plan to face January is to get outside in the cold arctic monocratic solemn stillness that is her mantle. Bundle up first. Then find your best spot to survey what is going on all around you in the nature world. Breathe. You’ve been here before. You’ve certainly fallen here before. And you’ve risen here too. Today is yet another opportunity to take a few more steps on your journey. Move in the air. Tip #5.