My favourite tips to beat the winter blues!

AmandaChampagneYogi

Winter! The coldest, darkest and most wet time of the year; especially if you live anywhere close to the Pacific Northwest. Whether you are team Winter or not, there is an overwhelming agreement it’s the time of year depression starts to creep into our days. SAD – affective disorder is a more serious form of the “winter blues” and it affects over 10 million Americans each year. It is four times more common in women than men, and research shows another 10 million have a mild form of SAD. If you are one of the 20 million who experience this, you are NOT alone beautiful.

Common symptoms of SAD

(per the American Psychiatric Association)

  • Loss of energy
  • lack of appetite
  • Increase of appetite, especially at nighttime
  • Feeling sad for no reason
  • Change of sleep, usually more than usual
  • Difficulty making decisions or concentrating
  • Feeling worthless
  • Feeling unmotivated

You might be feeling more sluggish than usual, feel the need for longer sleep than your norm and you might have the urge to hunker down and hibernate. I feel you! And there are plenty days when all I want to do is curl up in a ball, read a good book and not step foot outdoors. Then Luna gives me her puppy dog eyes and lets me know that’s not happening and she needs a walk. 100% of the time I am grateful she got me up and moving. 100% of the time I return home feeling uplifted and energized. My hubby and I invested in warm waterproof coats which has helped immensely and gives us a really good reason to bundle up and head outdoors!

Amanda’s top 3 tips to help beat the moody blues!

Get your tush outdoors!

There is nothing better than a cold brisk walk to rejuvenate your spirits, clear out the fogginess you might be feeling and give you an energy buzz to keep you going. Even 30 minutes spent outdoors while it’s still light sends a reminder to our body it needs to be alert and active. The more daylight you get, the more you are in tune with your circadian rhythm. Get bundled up, pull out your umbrella, put on some rain boots and turn on your favourite podcast or tunes. Being outdoors immediately provides you with beautiful fresh air, sunshine, daylight, increased movement and resets your mood.

Action: Arrange to meet a friend for a walk to catch up rather sitting in a coffee shop or on your couch.

Journal!

Ever since my sister told me about her gratitude practice, I’ve stayed committed every single day; morning and night. What I’ve noticed is how easy it is for me to see beauty, happiness and joy in small details. It can be dumping rain outside and yet I still find happiness watching the birds fly into the garden for their bird seed. Rather than feel grumpy it’s cold and dark, I’ll light a fire, brew a fresh cup of tea and enjoy the heat on my face while reading a good book. Honestly, journaling has been transformative for my overall wellbeing.

I start every morning writing down a couple things I am most grateful for (most often a good night’s sleep, or my warm cozy bed) but then I always write down something new. I love thinking about all the new things which bring me happiness.

At night I write down any mini achievements, breakthroughs, and lessons I learned that day and I finish by jotting down a couple things that brought me happiness.

Action: Either with pen or paper or your favourite word processing app, commit to just 3 days of gratitude journaling.

Eat a rainbow of colour!

It’s tempting to eat rich, heavy comfort food during the winter months. Eating a wide variety of colour is especially important to keep your mind, body and spirit energized and full of joy. It is common knowledge that fruits, vegetables and whole grains are the best foods for our daily diet, but only over the last 10 years or so have studies begun to show that healthy eating impacts not only our physical health, but our mental health as well. There is no need to put a “name” to your diet. You might be vegan, pescaterian, vegetarian, or follow a modified keto diet. All schools of thought have the same conclusion: eat a wide variety of pure whole foods, with the majority coming from plants.  This is why you’ll only ever here me refer to eating a Plant Based Diet.

Action: If you are craving something sweet, make a smoothie or eat a piece of fruit. Wanting chocolate, try cacao sweetened with coconut sugar, dates or monk fruit. Quite often, brewing a fresh cup of herbal tea helps to relax the mind without blood sugar crash from heavy carbs. Better yet, make a pot of vegetable soup or chili, cozy up with a golden milk latte without any sugar crash.

For more Self-Love ideas, download my FREE Self-Love rituals guide.

I’d love to hear how you beat your winter blues! Be sure to share on Facebook Pintrest or Instagram (tag me @amandavs and #healthyissexy). I’d can’t wait to see how you journey unfolds

Share our little secret with your friends and family. Healthy is sexy!  Be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter to receive health tips, recipes, motivation mantras direct to your inbox. You will also be the first to hear about our product launch.

XO

Amanda