Beat The Winter Blues | Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD

Photo by Céline : https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-piece-of-cake-on-a-tray-18486556/

Now, I know this seems a little early, but this is something we need to set up in action to have a healthy and active winter. If you're like me and get SAD (seasonal affective disorder), you understand how hard it can be when the clouds come in, the rain starts pouring, and it's just darkness all throughout the winter.

This sucks. So, in this blog, I'm going to show you some tips on how to overcome these and what I did to do it. You can also listen to the episode of The Crystalline Podcast where I talk about this in more detail. So, make sure you sign up for my newsletter to stay updated about that, because I don't have any social media except Pinterest and you can also subscribe to my YouTube.

So, first things first, create a schedule for yourself. Look at your calendar and make plans. Look for things to look forward to. Meet up with friends, plan events, or look on Eventbrite for something. Sometimes, you don't have to spend money. Sometimes, it can be free. Just plan some things, plan something for your friends, and create a calendar full of things to look forward to.

Focus on yourself. I should put this first. Get active. Go for walks, even if it's the most depressing, gray, awful walk. Just walk and get active. Go to the gym, or if you don't want to go to the gym, you can buy appropriate equipment like a jump rope and start jump roping. Stay active for 30 minutes a day, that's all you need.

As well as staying active, please keep your health in check. Eat those greens. I know it's easy to put on weight in the winter because of all the Christmas meals and hot chocolates, but stay active throughout the winter, and you'll see how easy it is to beat the blues. 

I remember when I felt like I had all my pillows in a track. I was working, I had friends, I did things with my friends, I went to the gym, I had things to do and things to plan. I even joined a running club. (find one near you, it's FREE) I forgot to mention this in my podcast episode, but joining a running club or a club near you that excites you is something to look forward to.

My advice would be to not binge things like TV shows. I feel like binging is such a bad thing to do for your mental health. It's just you in a slump in your pajamas watching a TV series. I don't think that's the great way to stay active. I believe that watching one episode at a time gives you something to look forward to when you're feeling sad and in a slump of inactivity. 

Book get-togethers with your friends, get some popcorn, and get together to watch a series. You don't have to watch them all in one go.

Sometimes, we do need a day like that to recharge, but if you're doing that all the time, I don't believe it's good for your mental health and physical health. It's something we don't even notice because everyone does it, we consider as normal when actually, you're sitting for long periods of time, and we all know that's bad for you. 

Please look at your lifestyle and become aware of it.

A great way to do that is to do three things. I feel like I must have mentioned this before in my eBook that's coming out. Stay tuned and sign up for my newsletter for that announcement. Or, if I've mentioned it in a previous blog, the three things are to do them at night. It will help you become aware of your lifestyle because it helps you reflect back on your day. 

I remember I got to a point when my days seemed miserable. I wasn't doing anything, even though I was comfortable and completely unaware of the day itself. I didn't actually notice that my life wasn't as exciting as I once thought. 

Doing the three things really helped eliminate anxiety in my mental well-being. But it also made me aware that my life could be a little bit more fun.

We only get one life. It doesn't mean you can't have a spring in your step when you're in your 80s or 70s, but some of us don't. Some of us don't get to that age. It's such a privilege to age. I know people look at it as a negative thing because change happens for us, but actually, it's such a privilege to age because not a lot of people get that opportunity, that chance, that blessing. So, we really need to rewire our minds in that area. It's such a great opportunity to feel alive and live your day to the fullest. Saying yes to things is a great way to do that.

You can get apps or sign up for my newsletter where there will be a FREE Live Class, just a small quick class for you to join in on live on YouTube. You don't have to sign up for anything. Just sign up for my newsletter in order to access the free live on YouTube. We'll discuss how to do the three things. It's so simple and easy. If you guys need a guide for that, I'm here for you. And that's all completely free for you. It's a really wonderful thing, and I can't wait to see you guys there.

We're completely human. I get it. I super get sad, and that really, really sucks. I remember as soon as the clocks went back, I couldn't get out of bed. I was super overthinking. I couldn't function. I couldn't see clearly. I couldn't get out of bed without being held back by my own thoughts of not being good enough. It was like really ridiculous thinking back. 

So, what did I do to myself? Why would I struggle to get out of bed and go to the city and go buy some running shoes, which are basically featured in my shorts on my YouTube shorts? That was such a struggle for me to go and do that, and it was so silly. But I got up and I did it because I told myself I was being ridiculous. It shouldn't be this hard to go get a pair of shoes, and it was unnecessary for me to feel this way in hindsight. But I did, and you should never be too hard on yourself about the way you feel because it's not going to get you anywhere. 

You need to turn around and be kind to yourself, be kind to what you say to yourself and what you think. Just be kind to yourself. It really is a lot of work, but it is something that will pay off in the long run.

Watch yourself. What are your thoughts? What do you say to yourself? I remember when I was lying in bed stressing, I was saying such negative things to myself. I just swear I convinced myself to go and get these running shoes so I could join a running club, start running, and beat the winter blues. Even though I did stop running after I caught the flu, which was the worst, I joined a running club. I'm running every Saturday morning, and that's something to look forward to. That's something to do.

I feel like we should fill our days up with these little things, even if they're like an average two hours. Little clubs for us to look forward to. There's another club I'm part of, and I work for a charity, which is just awesome. It's something to look forward to to beat off the winter blues.

We need to look at ourselves and organise. I think I have a blog post about the pillars. I always say that. Look at what we can do, figure out what we can do, and plan. For example, if I'm not good at sports, I can go for a walk. This is the way I figure out happiness. It's just a structure, a little framework for you guys to have. You can read all about that in another blog post. I'll link it for you. 

But it really is all about taking care of yourself, doing what's right for you, having things to look forward to, staying active, and staying healthy. I don't know if I mentioned vitamin D. I'm going to try and see if that's a thing. There's no scientific evidence behind it, but I'm going to start taking vitamin D for my own sanity. Stay active, go for a walk. It really is annoying and sad, but don't think too much into it. Plan events, you can find free events, and don't be too hard on yourself. Take the right steps for a healthier you this winter.

I really hope you guys book at least one thing, like going to get a pumpkin spice with your friend and maybe a cinnamon roll to go with it this October 1st. I really want to see you guys post about it. I think that would be really great for you to do, you can leave a comment below, I'll be looking at getting a members areas for you guys in the mean time whilst I work on the app.

Can't wait to see your posts xx

P.S I'm Hosting a FREE 1:1 Positive Thinking | Easy Ways to Boost Your Mood Click Here to Book