The January Blues Checklist: Symptoms Include Saying “Ugh” as a Full Sentence ❄️

January in Canada can feel long, dark, and emotionally exhausting, especially when the winter blues hit hard. If you’ve found yourself saying “ugh” as a full sentence lately, this January Blues Checklist is for you. A totally real, extremely scientific diagnostic guide from the Booby Gazette Medical Board (me, in a hoodie).

Depending on when you’re reading this, you’ve either almost made it through January… or you are currently crawling across the finish line like a champion with dry skin and a questionable attitude.

Either way: you’re close. And I’m proud of your socks for staying on.

If you’ve been feeling… off, flat, foggy, or “why am I cranky while holding a warm coffee?” you may be experiencing a common seasonal condition known as:

The January Blues

Also referred to as:

• “Is it bedtime?”
• “Why does everything feel like paperwork?”
• “I need a nap and a snack and a new personality.”

Let’s diagnose you properly.

✅ January Blues Checklist

Tick all that apply.

Symptom #1: Saying “Ugh” as a complete sentence

Examples:

• Friend: “How are you?”
• You: “Ugh.”

Prescription:

• Hot shower therapy (10 minutes minimum, 2 emotional breakthroughs optional)
• Bonus: fresh pajamas after. It’s not laziness. It’s recovery.

Symptom #2: Your winter coat feels like a hostile coworker

You put it on and instantly forget who you were before the oppression.

Prescription:

• Layer smarter, not angrier.
• Softer base layers. Less scratchy nonsense. More peace.

Symptom #3: “It’s dark” has become your main hobby

You wake up: dark.
You blink: dark.
You look away: still dark.

Prescription:

• Daylight lamp (tiny indoor sun, no tan lines, no drama)
• Or stand by a window like a Victorian woman waiting for letters that will never come.

Symptom #4: Everything feels harder than it should

Opening jars. Answering texts. Choosing a movie. Finding the other mitten.

Prescription:

• One “tiny win” daily
  A 7-minute walk. A load of laundry. Returning one email.
  These are victories. Put them on your résumé.

Symptom #5: Sudden cravings for beige foods

Toast. Pasta. Potatoes. Anything that looks like it could double as insulation.

Prescription:

• Add one colour to your day
  A clementine. A red pepper. A salad you complain about while eating.
  Still counts.

Symptom #6: You are emotionally attached to your couch

The couch gets you. The couch doesn’t ask questions. The couch supports you in ways some people never will.

Prescription:

• Couch, but with a plan
  10 minutes outside (even if you stomp like an angry penguin).
  Then return to couch with moral superiority.

Symptom #7: You’re wearing the same bra on repeat

Not because it’s your favourite. Because January has removed your ability to make decisions.

Prescription:

• The “Cozy Bra” Rule
  January is not the month for itchy, pokey, weird-fitting nonsense.
  Wear the bra that makes you feel:
  ✔ supported
  ✔ comfy
  ✔ less likely to commit a crime in traffic

And listen… if your current bra is giving you “ugh” energy, you’re not being dramatic. You’re being properly diagnosed.

Symptom #8: Your internal monologue is aggressively unkind

You’re fine, but your brain is auditioning for a roast battle.

Prescription:
Talk to yourself like you would a friend:
Friend: “I’m behind this month.”
You: “It’s January. Everyone’s behind. Even the sun.”

Symptom #9: You keep checking the weather like it owes you money

And every day it’s like: “Minus 27. With feelings.”

Prescription:
Plan one small thing to look forward to.
Coffee date. Movie night. Bath. New book. New bra.
A treat that says: “I’m still here and I deserve joy.”

Symptom #10: Random tears… or random rage

You see a dog in a scarf and suddenly you’re emotional.
Or someone chews loudly and you consider moving provinces.

Prescription:

• Movement + warmth combo
  Short walk, warm drink, warm socks.
  Basically: reset your nervous system, not your whole life.

If you can do 10 minutes of anything that feels like a soft reboot, you’re winning January.

Final Diagnosis 🩺

If you checked 3 or more, congratulations: you have The January Blues.
But here’s the hope potion: we’re at the very end of January. Whether you’re reading this on the 30th or the 31st, you’re basically in the victory lap.

Treatment Plan (simple + realistic)

• Light (lamp or window)
• Warmth (shower, tea, cozy socks)
• Movement (tiny walk counts)
• Support (from friends AND from bras)

And if you’re not thriving right now? That’s okay.
January is a month you survive, not a month you perfect. 💙❄️

Bonus January Question (for the winter warriors) 👀❄️

Did you see our new Merino Wool Panache PanAlp?!
OMG… it could be your new best winter friend. Cozy, breathable, and basically the sports bra equivalent of getting hugged by a warm cabin (minus the creepy bear rug). 💙

I’m on a mission to support Canadian women from Dildo, Newfoundland, to Spuzzum, British Columbia. 😉 That’s why I created my online eFitting Quiz—to make finding the perfect bra not only easy but fun! We offer free in-person and online fittings, free shipping, and the best sports bras in Canada, I promise to keep things uplifting—literally and figuratively! 🎉

Brigitte Lessard, 
Bra Boss of Canada
Lifting Canada’s spirits—and everything else—coast to coast!