Does fall make you feel stressed?

Yeah me too, I’m right here with you. I’m struggling to adjust to less light, less heat, and more inside-time.

My body does really well when I have a lot of light, heat and outdoor space. Not so much when im trapped inside and feeling oh-so-anxious.

I’ve been thinking really hard about some tips and tactics that I have to help myself out when I’m feeling blue, so wanted to share with you what those have been for me.

Tips to help fight the winter blues:

• Rope in some mindfulness… as I feel myself wanting to eat sugary foods, when I’m not hungry, and lean on food as a cure. I work on non-judgement style mindfulness, pulling in awareness to help me through it.
• Watch the sugar… oh man is this a big one for me. I NEED to be careful of this in winter months when I’m more likely to just go for it.  I will aim to have unsweetened, dried mango and pineapple around to help my sweet tooth, because I really need something but want to be careful. Extra sugar when already feeling anxious can actually make it feel worse.
• Ramp up the omega 3’s… these actually do help with inflammation, anxiety and swelling. So I take extra omega 3’s in the winter (about 3 grams a day)- plus eat some wild fish here and there. I choose this Nordic Naturals ProOmega formula.
• I make sure to make more friend plans… oh wow is this important for me. I tend to isolate when I’m stressed or sad, so in the winter I am really likely to be alone. However, I’ve made more of an effort in recent years to make sure I don’t fall into this trap (yes, it’s a trap) – because it’s impossible to get out of. I aim for 2 friend meetings a week to help me stay sane and happy.
• I’m extra focused on good-quality sleep at this time of year… it’s a must. I am not a great sleeper anyway, so I’m super serious about good quality sleep in the winter because it helps me, here’s my checklist:
  • Earplugs
  • Eye mask
  • 5HTP before bed (100 mg)
  • Magnesium citrate powder (about 350 mg)
  • Air filter on
  • Room dark
  • Meditation before bed (counting sheep works too)
• Turn up the heat! My body does really well with heat, so I make sure to make this happen in the wintertime. It’s hard to do because I can often find myself unmotivated, so here are the things I’ll do to help myself get warmer:
  • hot bath
  • infrared sauna
  • hot yoga
  • gentle run/walk or elliptical
  • steam or traditional sauna!

These are just a few things that come to mind for me, and i’ll keep adding to them as they come along, but I want you to know it’s NORMAL during this time of year to feel like you struggle- it’s hard (ahem, it’s 5 pm and now dark, sigh). We’re all in it together and you can always reach out for tips or help!

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