5 TIPS To Beat The Winter Blues
If you live in a colder climate, you may feel a bit dreary this time of year. As a girl who grew up in Florida and moved to Scotland full time, I've found several successful ways to keep my happiness afloat!
Light candles everywhere and find your inner "Hygge" - Darkness is new to me after being a Florida girl my whole life. It is so hard to wake up in darkness and finish your work day in darkness. A friend of mine last year gave me the "Little Book of Hygge" to help me fight the winter blues during my first year postpartum. It was so helpful! One of the best tips I read about was to get a bunch of candles and blankets in your house and to make your environment as cozy as possible. Light them all, bundle up, and invest in making your space insanely comfortable/ welcoming. Whether that's lighting a "fake fireplace" on the TV, turning on low lights, adding twinkle lights, or just using candles, anything works!
A bit about the word Hygge :"Hygge (/ˈh(j)uːɡə/, HOO-guh; Danish: [ˈhykə]; Norwegian: [ˈhŷɡːə]) is a word in Danish and Norwegian that describes a mood of coziness and "comfortable conviviality" with feelings of wellness and contentment. "(wikipedia)
2. Mediation - Even just 5 to 10 minutes of meditation daily helps me feel a lot better about any kind of weather.
3. TRAVELFIT Workouts from Home!-- This is an obvious one. Move your body as much as possible and find a workout you LOVE to do without having to leave your house/flat. That's exactly what this platform is for! I've been using my own platform way more often over wintertime and I've noticed an increase in energy, strength and overall happiness!
4. Make Comfort Meals - Warm soups, risottos, pastas, baguettes, homemade cookies, pies, cakes -- you name it! All the best winter foods will cheer me up and make the apartment smell amazing! Highly recommend finding your favorite comfort "staples" and rotating them to keep you smiling.
5. Head to Bed Earlier *with a Book* - This one seems odd, but getting into bed earlier has done wonders for my mind and my rest. And since its so dark, I don't mind going to bed earlier than normal. I aim to be in bed at 8:30 and reading at least till 9 or 9:30. I'm usually up by 6 or 6:30 with Ben anyways, and I always feel better when I've read a book rather than scrolled on my phone late into the night.