I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for spring. In Washington State, spring is late to start. Waiting for spring weather here is like watching someone knit for the first time – painful, slow, and with many false starts. The past two years, I’ve noticed a definite difference in how I feel this time of year. It’s becoming much harder for me to wait for the sunshine. I feel foggy, blue, and downright slow. After a lot of self-reflection, I’ve started to realize that it’s not at all related to events in my life, but rather to the weather. Nothing may change about my life except for the sun poking through the clouds and suddenly it feels like an elephant has been lifted off my chest. WEIRD.
Because I’m not moving, (at least not yet), I tried to come up with a list of things to lift my spirits when the weather is holding me down. I thought I’d share it with all of you – my fellow Vitamin D deprived humans. In no particular order, here are my top ten mood lifters:
SET THE MOOD. Light some candles. Turn on your essential oil diffuser. Turn on some funky neon lights. Try to make your environment relaxing and bright.
SOAK IT IN. Everything is a little better with hot water. Make yourself a bubble bath. Break out your bath bombs, oils, and flower petals. Don’t forget your glass of rosé.
WRITE IT DOWN. Vent your feelings to your diary. Write yourself a letter and rip it up. Start a bullet journal. If you can write your feelings out on paper, you’ll feel instantly clearer.
TREAT YO-SELF. Give yourself a gift for being so awesome. Go shopping. Buy that new outfit you’ve been eyeing. Buy the random thing you laughed at in Fuego. New things are refreshing.
SIP IT. Make yourself a spot of tea or a pot of coffee. Heck, go to Starbucks and get that $5 Frapp. Keeping hydrated with your favorite drink will help to drain the bad vibes.
GET CREATIVE. Find some inspiration on Pinterest. Start a small project. Cook a new recipe. If you get your creative juices flowing, you’ll feel like a new you.
LAUGH IT OFF. Binge-watch your favorite comedy show on Netflix. Pull out your sick-day chick flicks. Laughter does wonders for the soul.
WALK IT OFF. Especially if you’re feeling angry, some exercise will do you good. Get those endorphins going. You won’t regret it.
SLEEP IT OFF. At a certain point, a good nap is the only thing that will cure a bad feeling. If today is just too overwhelming, take that power nap.
TALK IT OUT. Grab your girlfriends and go word vomit on them at happy hour. Text your bestie for her advice. Facetime your mom. Expressing your feelings will help you to get all the bad vibes out of your system a lot quicker. And you’ll probably get some good advice out of it too!
Spring may not really make an appearance for another month, but in the meantime, I'll be sipping my rosé with a Parks and Rec marathon and a lavender candle. What'll you be doing to escape the winter blues?