January is the month of new beginnings, and yet during its beginning, I’m already waiting on bated breath for it to end.

Ironically enough, the first month of the year proves to be the most monotonous, dull and overall worst month of the year.

I have more than a few bones to pick with January. For starters, January marks the end of the holiday season. No more candy, big family get-togethers or presents. The merry season ends, taking the feeling of glee with it. 

Secondly, after having two weeks off, January signals returning back to school. The free time given by the break to laze around the room fiddling with gifts from Christmas is gone, and waking up at 7 a.m. is the norm again. And unlike in December, there aren’t any big breaks to help give the motivation to push through.

The landscape in January is absolutely drab, like the rest of the month. All the grass is dead, the skies are gray and the sun sets earlier. It’s the pinnacle of seasonal depression. Such conditions begin earlier in the year, but in those months there are holidays and family to distract from the atmosphere. Now the family’s gone, the cheer is over and everything outside is yellow and gray.

Even though it feels like the slog couldn’t get any worse, it continues to do so.

The first day of January kicks off the new year, which causes its own set of problems. January proves to be a disheartening sign for everything to come. And while the new year is a new start, it’s also bittersweet, as it reminds you of all the hardships and losses faced in the previous year as you say goodbye, adding to the morose uphill battle that is January.

As if the month didn’t give out enough malice, it’s 31 days instead of 30. Really, if you ask me, January is the month that should be 28 (or 29) days instead of February, just so it’s possible to be relieved of the burden that accompanies the month.

January proves itself to be a constant toil on every front, with barely any relief besides knowing it will eventually end.