The new year has started, the vacation is over and schools have reopened. Bags are out again. Shoes are polished and kept in front. And as alarms make you open your eyes, you see darkness outside and curl back under the blanket, thinking it’s still night.

Then your mum calls out that it’s morning. But what about that darkness? Sorry, dear, it’s just winter doing its thing. Life is back “on track”.

But… does it really feel like it? Honestly, when I was in school, this phase never felt real at first. It felt like I was standing in a doorway — one foot still inside the holidays, the other forced into routine. Yes, forced, because of the short holidays. I mean, why so short?

Winter is still here, and we still want to feel it like it deserves to be felt — sipping coffee or hot chocolate. Life has restarted, but the brain is still in buffering mode.

Every year it’s the same. As the holidays end, calendars flip, people talk too positively: “Fresh start!” and “New year, new energy!”

I smile and nod every time I hear it; however, I’m still wra­pped in that slow, cosy winter feeling inside. The kind where mornings are hazy and quiet, nights are longer and nothing feels urgent unless you make it urgent.

When routine comes back before your mind does

Schools reopening always makes this feeling louder. Suddenly, there’s structure again. Timetables, homework, lunchboxes and the phrase… “Hurry up, you’re getting late.”

Many kids are excited to see their friends again, obviously. That part is real. But I think most of you are not excited about waking up before the sun or remembering which notebook belongs to which subject. Not really. At least not this very month!

Teachers, too, come back with plans and intentions, but even they need a few days to fully switch on. You can see it yourself — no one expects full focus right away. I mean, come on, give us a little longer break!

And kids, it’s not just about you; your parents are just trying to survive this phase as well. Managing their own post-holiday tiredness while pushing everyone else back into rhythm. Counting down silently until things feel “normal” again. There is a hushed phrase: “Yeah… things will come back to routine from next week…”

What no one says out loud is that this adjustment takes time. Everyone feels it. Even the adults who pretend they don’t. The first week back is rarely about real productivity. It’s about remembering how life worked before the holidays — like what time you left and how long it took your brain to wake up.

And here’s a small secret: schools know this too! That’s why they don’t throw everything at you on day one — or even in the first week!

Adults phrase it as a soft landing back into the system, but let me say it loudly: it doesn’t always feel soft or slow; it’s forced.

Still holding on to winter

Just because school has started doesn’t mean winter disappeared overnight. And I know I’m not the only one still holding on to winter and holiday feelings.

This part of the year feels… weirdly fresh, I guess. But it’s slow. Mornings are nice, even if you wake up late, with a cup of tea or coffee in your hands, just sitting there. Evenings make you want to go outside for some soup or something piping hot from the street carts, and there’s that smoky smell everywhere. You just stand there for a second and breathe the winter air in.

And for those of you who enjoy your own company, winter hasn’t let go yet either. You still want to sit quietly with a book or music playing softly in the background. No rush. No noise. Just that chill in the air and calm around.

Life has been pushed and restarted. With school open, now your days have names again. Monday comes with heavy bags and half-awake faces, with everyone still forgetting timetables and asking what period it is. Tuesday drags. Wednesday hits and you can feel the tiredness all over. You’re in class, but your brain… keeps going back to the holidays. Feels like they were just yesterday. Or maybe like they never happened at all.

Thursday… it feels like it’s never-ending. You keep looking at the clock. Still not over, still not over. And then Friday finally shows up. And you take a sigh of relief.

New Year energy

January is all about newness. Everyone is suddenly very motivated, very disciplined, very optimistic about goals and resolutions. Social media fills up with plans, progress and promises. And for a moment, you feel it too. You wake up thinking, “This is it. This year will be different.”

But then you realise you are not a magician. You don’t magically become organised overnight. You don’t suddenly enjoy waking up early. You don’t instantly eat better, think better or feel better. And that’s completely fine, because you are human.

Real change doesn’t arrive with fireworks. It comes in ways you don’t even realise.

Starting slow is not falling behind

There’s this strange guilt attached to slow starts. Like, if you’re not fully productive immediately, you’re already doing something wrong. That’s not true. A slow start means making your own pace. It’s choosing not to exhaust yourself on day one.

Take your time with homework, classwork and all things related. You don’t have to be perfect. You just need to get into a routine in your own way. Sometimes, just packing your bag the night before is enough.

Quiet excitement for what’s ahead

Now that the year has started, within one more week, you will feel yourself getting into a routine, whether forced or natural. The year will not announce its best moments, they sneak into your life in ordinary ways, in moments you almost overlook. So prepare yourself for that.

Don’t pile up on yourself with resolutions, because honestly, it rarely works. Too many promises and too much pressure make the year feel heavy before it even begins. What helps more are the small things that make days easier — the kind you don’t announce, the kind you just feel comfortable with.

Remember, the New Year’s energy needs realism to survive, because big promises burn out fast. Small habits stay. And maybe… that’s what this phase is really for. Not the rush of holidays, not the full speed of normal life either. Just the in-between. The part where you get used to things slowly, without being pushed.

There’s still a whole year ahead — new days, new chances and maybe even a few surprises waiting just around the corner. Make your move, slowly but steadily.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 10th, 2026