Your Views: How to combat the January blues

January can be a tough month.The Christmas lights have been taken down, the reindeer have gone back to the North Pole and the New Year's countdown is becoming a distant memory. Reporter Simon Meechan went to Maidenhead High Street on Saturday  to find out how you combat the January blues.

Valerie Thomson, from Aldebury Road, thinks the Christmas feel-good factor lasts into January.

The 67-year-old said: "I don't get any blues. I find that everybody is cheerful in this month because of the sales."

"But this January I haven't found that many people were doing shopping."

Zara Willis from Reading said the trick is to come up with affordable ways to spend time with loved ones when every one is feeling the post-Christmas pinch

The 30-year-old said: "I have coffee mornings with friends who I do not usually see, they just come round and have a nice little chat."

Nick McKie-Smith, from Cookham says optimism and exercise are the keys to a happy January

He said: "It's about keeping the glass half-full. We're past the shortest day and the days are getting longer."

The 44-year-old added: "I would say keep fit. Post-Christmas is the time to do more exercise.

"I did a nice long walk this morning. We borrowed a friend's dog and walked around Cookham Lock."

Juane James, from Cox Green believes the solution is just to ignore the month all together.

She said: "Just do not bother. Do not look at the bank statements, wait until next month and carry on with normal life."

The advise from semi-retired Dennis Daly is to go abroad for a break during the cold months.

The 75-year-old keen cyclist said: "Try to break it up. On New Year's Day I normally go down to Malaga or Majorca with my bike. It breaks up things around the short days."

Martin Sullivan, from Boyn Hill, works for Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council.

The 38-year-old said: "There's no such thing as January blues. It's when your credit card statement comes. That's when you feel the blues."