Why January in Illinois Feels Longer Than the Entire Year

January in Illinois is not a month, it's a mindset.  A test of patience.  A social experiment, I swear.

This is the month where time stops making sense to literally everyone.  You check the calendar on January 7th and think, "Okay... we're moving along like normal."  Then you check again and somehow it's still January 7th.  Every single day feels like it has 48 hours, and none of them are productive.

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December at least has distractions; holidays, family gatherings, and the New Year!  But January?  It just shows up like, "alright, now sit in your thoughts.  This is going to be the longest month of your life."  No major holidays.  No long weekends.  Nothing.

And the weather doesn't help either!  Illinois January weather is so unpredictable.  It's windy, cold, rainy, snowy, and all of the above!  You can't plan anything because one day it's 38 degrees and raining, and the next day it's -2 degrees with windchills that feel personal.

January is also when all motivation disappears as the days go on.  New year... new opportunities to make excuses why you're not going to the gym, eating better, focusing on yourself.  By mid-month, we're all back in sweatpants, eating comfort food, and procrastinating.  Nobody wants to do anything but complain really.

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And the worst part?  February is right after this mess.  It just feels like January drags on forever, am I wrong?!  How do you get out of your January slump?  I need to know because I've been stuck in a weird limbo the last two weeks.