The Winter Blahs and Ways of Self Care

I’m all in the grey. Image credit: Kim Forman of UnderTheKimfluence.com

I’m a once-a-week or so kind of blogger, but I’ve been slower than usual, lately. I’ve been tired, grumpy, prone to jumping to conclusions, and an overall emotional mess. Yup. I’ve got the winter blahs.

This happens, and honestly, it isn’t *just* winter. It comes and goes throughout the year. I think that the post-Thanksgiving energy and then days and days and days of rain and gray clouds are taking their toll on me. 

And it isn’t like I don’t have things to write about – there’s recipes mostly transcribed, pictures in need of editing, books I’ve read and reviewed but haven’t yet written up posts for you (sorry, Jereme!)…but every molehill feels like a mountain right now.

There’s nothing exactly WRONG but I’ve been moping around a bit and needing to take time for selfcare. This can take many forms, and the specific things that you need might be different than what I need, but here’s what I’ve been doing for both good and ill.

Drinking a bit more than I should: both coffee and alcohol intake has been boosted. It’s nothing serious or life-ruining, but I feel the effects of the increased tippling. Both the gluttony of the holiday and the desire to take the edge off the chill has increased my consumption of these strong beverages. It makes me extra sluggish and tired, and so it is time to re-read my own pep talk to my beloveds, get back to better hydration and give my liver and kidneys some love.

Embracing the emotions: even when you don’t like them. Sometimes you must accept the emotions that you are having and fully experience them. I try to allow myself space to be frustrated, to cry, and to express my anger. On the flipside, it is important to maintain balance and not to give yourself carte blanche to wildly emote without conscious consideration of those around you. Unless you’ve warned them that you are in the middle of a freakout, like I try to do with my closest loved ones.

Once or twice a year, I share this article on social media for my friends who are having a hard time. This year, someone else posted it and I felt like the reminder was meant just for me. “Why Being Broken in a Pile on your Bedroom Floor is a Good Idea” by Julie JC Peters.

Acknowledging the darkness: winter is approaching. Many folks seem to suffer from depression and anxiety in the wintertime. It makes sense to me…there’s less sun, more cold, freezing precipitation, and forced interaction for holidays. Ugh! I try to acknowledge the darkness by giving myself the space to have quiet, soul-refilling time on my own when I can. There’s a fine link between being honest with sadness and merely wallowing in self pity, though. One way I accept my big feelings is by listening to sad music that makes me happy. Mozart’s Requiem has been one of my favorite pieces of music ever since I was a five-year-old classical music nerd:

Personal comfort: it is important to be comfortable in your own body. When I’m sad or just a big ball of feelings and need something secure, I grab one of my comfy sweaters, a pair of fuzzy socks, snuggly pajama pants, and sometimes even my bumblebee onesie when I need to. I’ve also been known to wrap myself in a blanket like a sad burrito. All of those are valid options – what makes you feel good? Try to do some of that and see if it helps.

Lavish yourself: even if you don’t have money, there’s nice things that you can do to nourish yourself or treat yourself. Try a honey facial, or take a bath with some epsom salt or a drop or two of essential oils that you like. If you’ve been seriously depressed, try a shower, or washing your face and brushing your hair and teeth…even if it seems like you have to drag yourself to the bathroom to do it, it’s a useful step toward feeling worthy of feeling good. 

Can’t afford to go and get a pedicure? There’s two weeks left for you to enter the Rocky Mountain Essentials Care Package Giveaway, where you can win a bag of Coconut Activated Charcoal Powder, Natural Shoe Deodorizer & Foot Spray, and Tea Tree Oil Foot Soak with Epsom Salts. Totally worth a shot, yeah? Enter to win before Dec. 12, 2015.

Seek like (or tolerable) company: Here’s some places that I hang out online when I’m sad. Some are funny, some are odd, some…well….judge me as you will! *wry grin*

The Bloggess – if you don’t know the Bloggess, you should! She’s hilarious, and yet one of the most poignantly honest people out there these days. I consider her to be an inspiration because she talks openly about difficult feelings, has an incredible sense of humor, and is still a successful person. She’s real, funny, and if you ever feel like you are too awkward to live, just read this. Get your laughing muscles limber.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast – also, Cartoon Planet episodes. It’s just plain silly. My kind of silly. Watch Brak sing “I Love Beans” and you might understand.

Silly YouTube Videos (probably some are NSFW language)

Can’t Hug Every Cat

The Kitty Cat Dance

Eddie Izzard – Cake or Death?

 
That’s all I have for now, you guys. I’m going to keep on keeping on, and I hope that you can do the same! What do you do to take care of yourself? What are your special moments that make all the turmoil worthwhile?