Winter will be here soon! The bitter cold and less daylight hours can have some of us feeling the winter blues. There’s even something called seasonal affective disorder which is basically a type of depression that occurs in winter! I want to share some holistic diet and lifestyle tips that can help you stay happy this winter.
1. Wear brighter colors – seriously! Color therapy is real. Different colors can help shift our moods. Brighter colors are associated with happiness and youth! In nature, spring, summer and fall have so many colors to offer and in winter, there’s generally more greys and a lack of color. So, add some more color to your own personal life to boost happy feelings!
2. Get outside early morning or afternoon when there’s actual sunlight out! Sunshine significantly goes down during the winter, so take advantage of it when there is some. Take a break from whatever you’re doing and take a walk outside. Light therapy is also very real. Natural light boosts mood!
3. Move your body! Anything that gets you more physically active. Exercise, yoga, dance, etc. One of the best ways to relieve stress and release those feel good endorphins is by exercising! Time and time again, exercise has been proven to decrease feelings of depression and improve mood.
4. Diffuse your favorite natural fragrances in your home! We find ourselves more home bound in the winter season staying cozy and warm indoors. Aromatherapy is very powerful! You can use essential oils like lavender, chamomile, sandalwood, rose etc to help you feel instantly relaxed easing any depressive moods. It’s a regular in our household and we love coming home to delicious smells!
Alternatively, you can create your own simmering potpourri! Basically all you do is simmer water in a pot on the stove with your favorite smelling scents like from spices and food/food scraps like orange peels, lemon peels, cinnamon, apple peels and cores, cloves, dried lavender etc. They will make your kitchen and home smell lovely uplifting your spirits. You can get super festive with it at this time of the year. Keep it going and just add water as needed.
5. Drink hot drinks! Nothing more comforting then sweet warm drinks that cozy you up on the inside! Hot chocolate is our favorite which we make diary-free with our favorite creamy home-made cashew milk. Our favorite recipe can be found here: https://ohsheglows.com/2014/01/14/luxurious-dairy-free-hot-cocoa/
I even read that just clutching a warm mug in your hand soothes us even before we begin to drink. Finding your favorite mug (lots of motivational ones out there!) makes it that much more special!
6. Make sure you’re getting enough of all those mood-boosting nutrients you might be deficient in! Vitamin B complex, Vitamin D, and omega 3 fatty acids can help fight depression. Also, eating complex carbohydrates releases serotonin, a feel-good chemical in the body, which can temporarily enhance mood!
So, yes, these were some self care tips from me for the winter to keep your spirits up! Of course, there's a gazillion things you can do to cheer yourself up and you know yourself best! Of course, if you have serious mood/depression issues than make sure to get the professional help you need and do the deeper internal work that needs to be done. I love journaling and find it extremely therapeutic. Whenever my thoughts and emotions are nagging and getting the best of me, I pull out my journal to make sense of it all, gather perspective, shift from negative to positive and move on. It’s like an emotional detox! Try it 🙂
Don’t forget to follow me on IG @healthwithafrina to get more frequent tips and inspiration from me!
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Holistic health is about the WHOLE you!