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