When I moved to NC, I kind of (naively) thought my seasonal depression days were behind me. "Here I come" I thought! Sunshine! Warm days! Winter is behind me.
Turns out, we still have winter here. And while it is not the oppressive four-five month long ordeal that Cleveland is, we still have our fair share of overcast skies, rain for days on end, and overall womp womp feeling that just settles in during January and early February.
So in the spirit of figuring things out and pushing ahead no matter what- here are my top recommendations for getting through winter as best as possible
1) HYDRATE. I don't know if this has a direct link to depression but I do know that N.O.T.H.I.N.G. in your body will work right if you aren't well hydrated. I have a difficult time drinking cold beverages in the winter so I drink a LOT of herbal tea. If I am feeling off, the first thing I try to do is drink a big glass of water.
2) Sunless tanner. I know, I know, some of you are going to give me grief over this one. But I swear, just looking down and not seeing ghost legs with flaky skin helps my mood. I am currently using this one, but I feel like I need to be honest and say I've never quite managed a streakless look with it (there is always one **** area that smudges), I plan on trying this one next.
3) Setting an alarm. This week I set my alarm to wake up well before my kids and it helps. I journaled, I prayed, I threw a pity party that I am living in a climate where it gets cold and sometimes I feel sad. LOL, and then I moved the **** on with my day. I made time for what I wanted to do and then got to what needs to be done.
4) Motivation begets motivation. When I am feeling depressed, the last thing I want to do is move, or accomplish anything. Creating a list of tasks that need to be accomplished helps and I even noticed a positive difference in my kids. They are home from school today so I made a quick "chore list" and my daughter was beaming at me when she finished saying "I feel so good mom" and then yes, they transitioned to chilling and watching TV. If you don't know where to start, I usually find a task that I really want done but subconsciously have been waiting for someone else to do (organizing my closet, cleaning out the screened in porch, etc) and then I get it done. It feels so good to get a big task out of the way and makes the little tasks of the day (dinner, food prep, cleaning, etc a little easier)
5) Dreaming. I am a huge dreamer and nothing lifts my spirits more than planning for the future. Whether its the next trip we are going to take, or looking at dresses for my best friends wedding (have you all SEEN the spring dresses?! They are a VIBE and I am here for it) it feels good to know there are things to look forward to and that I will eventually be warm.
This dress is my favorite! 😍 but the price! I also like two, three, four, and five!
6) A good cry, therapy session, gab session. Sometimes I just need to talk about my feeling, okay a lot of times I just need to talk about my feelings. My long time friends and I just set up a monthly or 2x monthly zoom call and it's amazing how much life it gives me to connect with these people that have known me for over half my life. It helps me connect to who I used to be, see how much I've grown, and just generally laugh my ass off!
7) Supplements. I try to be extra diligent about taking my vitamins in the winter. There's lots of extra germs floating around and my body generally tends to feel a little under the weather. I take a collagen, vitamin B, ashwaganda, CBD, and others as I feel I need it. It takes a lot of time/effort/mistakes to figure out what works for you and when to take certain things but they can definitely change the game!
8) A good book, AKA finding something you enjoy. Christian LOVES his shows and definitely likes to unwind with the TV. I watch TV in the evening but it's not necessarily what relaxes me/fills me with those good vibes. A good book thought? Count me in, I've recently been branching out in my reads and have loved this, this, and this. I listened to one and two on audible (finally figured out non fiction is best read out loud to me like a podcast as I'll never make it through otherwise) and am excited to read this and this. I have a goal of 100 books this year... dun dun dun!
Alright, so give me your secrets! What things to do you do to help yourself get through the winter?
Stay warm!
