Why does January feel longer than it used to?

'The first 75 years of January are always the hardest' was the last of many memes sent between our small friendship group. But just why does January always seem to feel like it lasts so long – and why does it feel like it's getting longer?

Circadian rhythms? Post-stimulation comedown? Your body's natural response to the season and shorter hours or day light? Getting back into a routine post-Christmas break?

All those things, but amplified enormously by social media. In my case, Instagram.

It's true, the comedown from December's Christmas stimulation can leave you a little flat after. But let's rewind a little. Let's think back to later October and early November. The Christmas noise began way earlier, whether you were paying close attention and actively getting involved or just scrolling past it, eye rolling, it was all going into your subconscious.

Targeted ads for gifts, content creators sharing festive hacks and recipes, disgruntled shoppers posting about how festive gift wrap and tubs of Celebrations were on sale way too cheap and too early (and how small those tubs have gotten). And let's face it, we all silently judged someone who put their Christmas tree up in November and felt compelled to share it with the world.

Then December actually begins. And it's not too bad – until you get to the last week, the post-Boxing Day wilderness, when you're left disoriented, what day of the week is it?

January has some of the shortest days of the year, more darkness can lead to a lower mood and, in turn, your body naturally tries to conserve energy, to take things down a notch. And yet at the start of January, there's a pressure to set yourself goals, resolutions. Even if you choose not to do this, when are on social media, the chances are you end up absorbing other people's ambitions and, in turn, often find yourself feeling like you need to publicly state that you don't feel like it's necessary - all that takes mind space and energy.

By mid January, you get back in your groove, it feels good to get the Christmas excess behind you and get back to normality. Then come the January-is-too-long memes. You 'like' one in passing, then the algorithm picks up on it, and before long, you are seeing more, you share one with a friend, and before you know it, you are being bombarded with dozens of images a day, scrolling into your subconscious, reinforcing the idea that January is dragging on and on. And then suddenly it really does feel like it's dragging. You take that feeling, you share it with friends, family, and mention it in-passing to coworkers, spreading the message. And so it goes on.

Until February, and then one week in your telling everyone how fast the month is going 🤦🏻‍♀️