Who Likes January? Not Me. (Okay… Sometimes Me.)
Posted on: January 28,2026If you don’t like January-we get it! January gets a bad rap. And honestly, it earns it.
The holidays pack up and leave. The lights come down. Credit card bills from Christmas come due. Suddenly your mailbox is aggressive and your jeans are… less forgiving. Turns out festive joy sometimes comes with interest and an extra warming layer courtesy of cookies, buffalo chicken dip, and “it’s the holidays” logic.
For military families especially, January can feel like a cold splash of reality.
The calendar goes quiet. The days are darker. The fun stuff disappears, but the responsibilities do not. Partners go right back to tempo. Training ramps up. Travel stops. Life shifts from full color to grayscale overnight.
I have to be honest. I actually like January. (Maybe a blog post for another day…) But a lot of my friends do not. And they are not wrong.
Why winter hits military families differently
January brings a perfect storm of quiet stress.
The post holiday letdown is real. You spend weeks pushing through events, family visits, school breaks, and emotional expectations, and then suddenly it is all over. No countdown. No big thing to look forward to. Just routine.
Isolation creeps in faster in winter. Fewer events on the calendar. Less daylight. Less casual connection. Add in a partner heading back into full operational tempo and that sense of being alone can sneak up on even the most capable among us.
And because nothing is technically “wrong,” it can be hard to name what feels off. You are functioning. You are showing up. But you are tired in a way sleep does not fix.
If this is you, you are not broken. You are human.
Give yourself permission to get back to green (or at least yellow)
January does not have to look the same for everyone.
For some people, getting back to green means slowing down. Saying no. Resting without guilt. Letting the house be a little messier. Protecting energy instead of spending it.
For others, January is the reset button. Setting goals. Getting after something that has been sitting on the back burner. Creating momentum where the holidays stalled it.
Neither approach is more virtuous. The only question that matters is what helps you feel like yourself again.
Find your happy place and go there. Whether that is rest or motion, structure or space, quiet or action. Give yourself permission to choose it.
Do not be afraid to ask for help
January is also a really good time to evaluate what you are carrying and what you do not actually have to carry alone.
Recently, I was talking with a group of Marine Corps spouses about juggling balls. We talked about knowing which balls are glass, which ones bounce, and which ones we can hand to someone else for a while.
That is wisdom. Real wisdom.
Help can look like a babysitter so you can breathe. A therapist to talk things through. A headhunter or career coach to help you sort out what is next. A friend who takes one thing off your plate without you having to explain why.
Asking for help is not a failure. It is a strategy.
When all else fails
When January really drags, remember this.
And if you hate January, that is allowed too.
Marta Sullivan is a veteran and spouse of an active-duty Marine. She is passionate about programs and initiatives that support and promote the well-being, quality of life, professional development, and economic opportunity of military spouses, veterans, and their families. She currently serves as Vice President, Marine and Spouse Programs at the Marine Corps Association.
