I am more of a spring and summer girl, so after the holidays when everything slows down, I realize how easy it is to start feeling blue. You don’t know why — you just feel sad, cold, and demotivated.
No longer are the hustle and bustle of the holidays or family visits or remembering to move the elf. Just cold, dark days.
I find myself feeling frustrated at life this time of year, and this Florida girl suddenly realizes the reason I feel like a slow sloth or a bear wanting to hibernate is because of the weather. So, I wanted to share some winter mood boosters I do to help get me though the “winter blues” that might help you, too.
Look at bright colorful pictures from spring and summer on your camera roll. I love looking back at pictures of my garden and flowers I grew or were blooming radiantly as a mood booster. I remind myself that my banana trees and hibiscus will be back to standing tall and tropical in all of their glory in no time, and my sunflowers will be following the sun with their faces before I know it.
Visit a garden center. Nothing makes me feel better than seeing house plants, tropical plants, and even winter flowers like petunias and pansies displayed in large quantities in a garden center. It helps remind me that more tropical, warm days are coming, and every plant has its season, even winter.
READ: Plant Therapy: Our Favorite Garden Centers & Plant Nurseries
Listen to upbeat music. Anything upbeat and high tempo that makes me want to dance and get the blood flowing helps me feel better. It also helps motivate me to organize and clean when it’s time to purge in the New Year.
Get coffee with a friend. If you are going to be cold, might as well be caffeinated too, right? Getting coffee with a friend is the best. Both coffee and girlfriend time warms you from the inside out.
READ: Meet Our Favorite Local Coffee Shops in Jax
Go for a walk or run on the treadmill. Not my favorite, as I’d rather be outside running or walking, but when it’s cold or windy or raining (or all three at once), the treadmill is my backup plan to help get the blood pumping. Even if it’s for a mile of alternating walking and running because that’s all I can stand, I at least feel accomplished and have burned off a little restless energy. Any exercise is good for the soul. Strength training especially makes you feel challenged and accomplished, and the benefits to your long-term health are unmatched!
Sit in the sun. I love just sitting in the sun, with your sunblock on of course, but just feeling the warmth of the sun. It puts me in a good mood and reminds me these cold days won’t last forever and that it’s just good to be alive and in this moment.
Even better if you can sit or lay down in the grass in the sun. It is the best when you feel connected to the earth, and it gives you an appreciation for all seasons. Looking for extra winter mood boosters? Stare at the sky for a bit (not directly at the sun, please, we don’t need burning eyeballs!) and realize how small we really are in this universe of ours.
Visit the beach. Some of my favorite times to visit the beach believe it or not are when it’s cold and moody out and you can catch some of the best photography opportunities. Clouds rolling through that look like cobblestones spread across the sky. Sunrises or sunsets showing off in beautiful shades of pink and orange. Birds huddled up, sea foam days that remind you of snow, and Northeast winds blowing up some of the best seashells you can find. Less people on the beach means more shell findings for you. Bonus for finding neat little critters clinging onto seaweed.
These are just a few of my favorite winter mood boosters! Remember that when you are feeling blue because of the winter months, this too shall pass. Before we know it, we will be springing forward (my favorite) and back to our warmer, longer days. Winter is the time to slow down and reflect, recognizing that some days will be uneventful and not filled with endless chores.
This is the time to tell yourself it’s okay that you want to crawl into bed at 7 p.m. with the heated blanket on and binge-watch some TV. We’ll be back to those hot days soon enough, and it could be worse — we could be dealing with SNOW. Stay warm, stay caffeinated, and stay positive. Mama said there’d be days like this!
