Happy Groundhog Day!

As I was walking to class this morning someone wished me a Happy Groundhogs Day. I was very confused and then remembered that yes indeed it is February 2nd. Then I got a little sad. I haven't thought about Groundhog Day since elementary school. We would make little groundhogs out of brown paper bags and read a groundhog story and then we would watch the news to see if the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, had seen his shadow(Yes I had to google that).  And for those of you who didn't realize it was Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, which means an early spring and big Yay for that!...hopefully this is at least a little accurate. 

It got me thinking about how fun elementary school was. It was a time of life where you celebrated things like Groundhogs Day, the 100th Day of School, the first day of March(which I don't remember why it was special but we celebrated it) and Columbus Day. At that time you weren't worrying about passing your classes or finding a job or hoping that somehow you could pay the bills. Your homework was one sheet of paper with addition problems on it. You had recess, lunchtime, detention for misbehaving and a desk that was just yours where you inevitably lost every single pencil, paper and craft supply that you were given.
Life isn't like that anymore. It is hard being an adult. And for me sometimes I really wish I could be a kid again. So take a moment to be a kid today. Read a fun groundhog story, color a groundhog, or draw one, take a step back to celebrate today. Happy Groundhogs Day!
#intheheadofbrie

Sincerely,

BriaunaLou

Winter Blues

Every year come January, I start to get really down. This first time this happened was my freshman year of college. It was really hard, but with a lot of help from many people, by summer I was in a much better place.  But that next year, I started having those same feelings and I realized it was Seasonal Affective Depression(SAD).

As I have studied and talked about it, I have realized that many people actually have seasonal depression or the Winter Blues. Every year there is a battle and every year, spring comes eventually and we bounce back, but until that happens it can be a real struggle. I, as much as the next person, knows how nice it is to curl up in a blanket in front of the TV with a bag of chocolate and only move as much as necessary. But that won't bust those winter blues. Here are a few tips that will.

Exercise every day. Whether that's yoga in the front room, hitting the gym or a brisk walk around the neighborhood. Get moving! Get your blood pumping. It doesn't have to be a hard core workout. In fact, it is recommend that you don't hard core workout in January to give your body time to rest. But do at least a little something.
Get some sunshine. Bundle up and take walk(two birds, one stone!). Sit in a sunny chair. Open up the window blinds. Soak up as much of that Vitamin D as you can. 
You hear this all the time. Eat healthy. Winter is a time for your body to rest and repair, it can't do that if you're feeding it junk. 
Add some color. Get some yellow towels. Put hot pink sheets on your bed, Put a green plant on the kitchen counter. Winter is very neutral. Mix it up with pops of color around your home. 
January is the start of a new year. What better way to start than to organize everything. Its cold outside so spend time inside decluttering your life. 
Be social. Do something outside your normal routine. Whether that's going to a basketball game or meeting friends at a restaurant. Get out, be with other people. 
Plan for summer. Make vacation plans you can look forward to. 
Get enough sleep. Its dark for longer, take advantage of that as much as you can. Let your body rest. 

Don't just survive the winter blues, knock them out of park. 
#intheheadofbrie

Sincerely,

BriaunaLou

To a New Everything

To start off the new year, I have some exciting news! I moved!!! I transferred up to Logan to attend Utah State University and I am pleased at peaches to be here, although that doesn't mean it hasn't been easy. Moving to a new town and a new university is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Even after being here almost a month it still doesn't feel quite like home yet, but I am going to do the best I can.
I look forward to a wonderful year! I am sure that there will be many hardships but also lots of good times! Here's to a new Everything!

Sincerely,

BriaunaLou