How to Beat the Winter Blues ❄

Now that the holidays + New Year’s Day is over, there’s really nothing that exciting to look forward to for the next few months! I mean, what can beat the excitement of Christmas + New Years?! Maybe a birthday… For me, I’m now excited for springtime to come around, or our next vacation. So the period from January to April is always a little gloomy for me. I mean, three months is a long time to be feeling down! The cold winter weather and the fact that the sun sets much earlier sure doesn’t help my mood. But I know I am not alone in this. According to Psychology Today, roughly 10 million Americans are affected by the winter blues (more professionally called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD for short). I am one of those 10 million Americans…

So today I thought I’d share how I do my best to beat the winter blues and keep myself excited about life until warmer weather comes around.

CREATE A LOVELY MORNING ROUTINE

I cannot stress the importance of this step. If you start your morning in the best way possible, the rest of your day will be off to a good start. And if you happen to have a bad work day, at least you had a lovely morning to get your day started on the right foot. Waking up early also helps you get a little more sunshine in your day since you’re awake for the sunrise.

At the start of 2019, I read an article titled 8 Things Every Person Should Do Before 8am and have been so, so inspired ever since. If I ever lose that inspiration, I go back and re-read this article. Works like a charm, highly recommend bookmarking it for a burst of inspo!

If there’s one thing I want you take away from this post, or if you want to quit reading this post now, it’s this step. Sooo crucial to everything else you want to ever accomplish!

STAY BUSY

I notice that if I don’t stay on top of my tasks and continue a streak of accomplishing things, I start feeling a little blue. Winter time is the ideal time to start working on any goals you have or projects you want to accomplish. In the warmer months, you’re usually a little more busy having fun and hanging out with friends. However, in the cold months, people love to hibernate. So use this time to accomplish anything on your mind or to-do list. This will help to fill up your time and give you less time with your sad thoughts that amp up your winter blues.

I shared some apps that help you be productive in this blog post.

MAKE EXCITING PLANS FOR THE WINTER

Whether it’s a full blown vacation, a weekend getaway, or a party at your home, plan something exciting!

Charming and I have a trip to NYC planned for January, a weekend getaway to a snowy mountain in February, a bloggers staycation also in February, and are currently planning to travel overseas end of March.

All these plans help us keep the gloomy winter months a little less boring and little more exciting. Depending on your budget, you can plan whatever floats your boat and excites you. If you don’t want to travel, plan fun dinner dates or game nights. The fact that the Bachelor comes on air every winter can be a great excuse to get together with a girlfriend once a week, relax and judge all the girls (don’t deny it, I know you judge them too!).

DRESS TO IMPRESS

This may seem annoying to do if you’re only in the mood for sweats + a comfy tee, but force yourself to dress up. It doesn’t have to be a full blown gown, but dress nicely. Wear a dressy sweater, blazer, skirt, shift dress, whatever piece of clothing that brings you happiness! I’ve been implementing this for as long as I can remember and it really helps so much! If I do my hair, makeup, and get dressed nicely, I feel much more motivated to be productive and even socialize!

DO NOT ISOLATE YOURSELF

This step is tough. Trust me, it’s hard even for me. Most of the time, I have to force myself to step out and not isolate myself! However, it is sooo rewarding to get out there and socialize. It’s so good to have connections with others and to be with someone other than your thoughts. It’s so easy to just hibernate in the winter time, but I challenge you to meet with someone at least once a week. One evening out of seven days is not hard to do and it will definitely help you from going insane! If you listen to your own thoughts for too long, it’ll be harder for you to decipher whether you’re telling yourself the right or wrong things.

If you’re an introvert like I am, check out my post on how I overcame my shy + introvert tendencies.

I hope you found this post helpful in helping you live your loveliest life!

If there’s any tips that you live by to pull yourself out of the winter blues, let me know!

Also, I’d love to see how you’re beating the winter blues! So tag me in your instagram photos or insta stories!

♡ Alena