Don't worry, you aren’t alone! The “winter blues” or seasonal affective disorder (SADs) is very common! Read my tips on how to cope with all your very-valid feelings and emotions!
My Tips:
- Meditation
- All the time, people rave about how GOOD meditation is for your mental and physical well-being, so why not try it out?! Even if it’s just 5 minutes a day, meditation has helped me cope with every-day stress. Meditation is proven to create new neural pathways that will make you HAPPIER, CALMER, AND MORE FOCUSED! :)
- Move
- Exercise decreases stress and makes you feel happier. Why? Well it releases happy chemicals into your brain, like dopamine! So go walk, run, dance, bike, - and be HAPPY!
- Fuel Yourself
- Healthy eating habits will only better your emotional and physical well-being. Everything is interrelated when it comes to the body. The foods we put into our bodies can either fuel us, or they can bring us down. Make sure to eat plenty of whole-foods (fruits, veggies) and eat ENOUGH! I can’t stress enough how detrimental undereating is for our bodies and mind. If you need any help in this department, please reach out! Lastly, drinks LOTS of H2O!
- Spend Time With Loved Ones
- Connecting with your friends and/or family releases stress and helps you to “get out” of your own head temporarily. Our loved ones remind us that we are loved, too, and to smile and laugh! I love getting together with friends to walk my dog or to cook dinner!
- Sleep
- A lack of sleep affects our brain’s cognitive functioning. Studies have also linked insufficient sleep to spikes in brain chemicals like serotonin during the day. Serotonin levels are high in those with depression, which explains why we feel sad when we are tired. Everything seems worse when we are tired. We think different, feel different, and function different. So please, get yourself at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night!
Prioritizing our health should always be #1. If you aren’t healthy, you can’t be a good friend, family member, student, athlete, etc. I am always here for you and would love to help in any way I can! I have struggled with depression and anxiety my entire life, so I have learned a lot of tips & tricks along the way! :)