Listening now…
Last week, I did a post called The hustle and bustle of us–
I was having a different monday perhaps than now.
It just made me think of how we just have our days.
I didn’t wake up as cheery as last Monday and didn’t feel as inspired at work or about a blog post to write, even.
Don’t get me wrong- I wanted to get out of bed and start my day and my week; but i felt more like this today: Delicate.
The seasonal sadness hit me a little harder today as I struggled to stay warm, it was bitter out. I still had a good day and it’s not over yet- I’m just happy to be home.
But we have our days and that’s okay. This is only human, we are not stagnant. We change like the seasons and our feelings, thoughts, and emotions shift day by day.
“Sometimes it’s okay if the only thing you did today was breathe.”
It’s mid January and [some of us] are freezing- how do you all cope with your winter mental health? Maybe we can help each other out.
For me lately it has been:
Tea
Blogging
Planning [Goals, with gratitude]
Watching good shows-[Downton Abbey and Shameless!]
Staying cozy- more time inside to relax
Keeping up with my exercise- even if it’s only once a week, I feel a lot better.
Thinking about my future and my goals
Looking forward to this:
But in the meantime,
I also have Seasonal Affective Disorder. Something that does wonders is TANNING. (What?!?) Hear me out: SAD is a result of coldness and lack of vitamin D, which affects melatonin. My dr told me I could go to a therapist and post $50 for 30 min under a photo therapy light, I could shot by a window and hope I get enough D, OR I could tan for 5-10 min 1-2x a week for $10 a pop.
Tanning is cheap, quick enough to do on my lunch break, and since you get nekkid, it’s a huge flood of full body warm. It’s not the same as full actual sunlight, but its warm, it’s relaxing, and I feel 1000x better when done!
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Thanks for the comment! I think i have it very mildly… But they also have something called a light box which is supposed to give you the same vitamin d as say the tanning bed, without as many bad effects- i have been meaning to get one myself! Maybe something worth looking into!
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So brave of you to talk about mental health and even braver of you to acknowledge that “Sometimes it’s okay if the only thing you did today was breathe.” That is my biggest struggle and the biggest obstacle holding me back on my blogging endeavor. Though I’ve spent a lot of time doing mindfulness practice, I still seem to believe that one day I will wake up and all of the bad days will be gone, but of course that’s not true and I just need to cut myself a little slack. Thank you for sharing!
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Aw, thank you Daniela! What are you most afraid of with blogging? If you don’t mind me asking? Thank you for reading!
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Your blog is wonderful, by the way. Keep going!
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Oh my gosh, you are so sweet! Thank you! I just feel like being honest and open about your feelings, opinions, passions, and wants in life is hard enough … sharing those feelings with other people is even harder! Just a fear of judgment I guess? That’s why these blogging communities are so wonderful!!
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that’s understandable- but good luck, you’ll do great! Is there an option to follow your blog? I didn’t see one!
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Oh, I know what you mean. You have a positive attitude though and yes, we will get though it. I have a quote on my wall that says “we all get a little f-ed up sometimes” (but the f word is spelled out) and I have it there just to keep things real. Thank YOU for being honest and Summer is on it’s way….
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Hah, I like that quote. How true! It is good to be real and honest with ourselves, right? Thank you for reading! 🙂
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It’s definitely easy to get gloomy in the winter. I like sitting by my fireplace and enjoying warm blankets. Tea and wine are great supplements to the time I get to spend cooking in the winter!
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Definitely tea and wine- I love cuddling up too, especially by the fire. And on the bright side even though I hate bringing in wood up the stairs and shoveling, they are great workouts!
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