Autumn has arrived and Winter is well on the way whether we like it, or not. As the nights are draw in I know that I am not going to be the only one starting to feel like all I want to do is hibernate & watch endless reruns of my favourite shows, all whilst feeling sorry for myself for no apparent reason. Sound familiar? Meet what I like to call the Autumn/Winter slump…
In January we all start with a new optimism for the year ahead, looking forward to everything that the year has to hold. There’s excitement, there’s New Years resolutions and there’s planning all the fun stuff you are going to get up to in the months ahead. By the end of the year the optimism begins to wane & as the days get shorter the slump begins to set in. Everyone begins to ask where the year has gone and the Christmas stresses begin to niggle in the back of our minds. Don’t get me wrong, I love Autumn and Winter can be great but there is something about the shorter days and colder weather that can really get me down. We all know that feeling of not wanting to get out of bed in the morning and I know I am not alone in finding it just that little bit harder to get motivated the closer it gets to the end of the year. But don’t worry, over the years I have found several ways to really help me get out of the slump and get dancing (metaphorically) again as the end of the year nears. With my top tips this time of year needn’t be a depressing mush of runny noses, cold toes and frowns, instead let’s learn to love it as much as the sunny summer and together beat the Autumn/Winter Slump once and for all.
1. Choose to Celebrate Halloween & Christmas
This is something that it took me a long time to learn and I don’t want any of you to make the same mistake! I used to be such a Grinch, hating on all things Christmas – especially if they were happening before December. I just couldn’t understand what everyone was making such a fuss about. However, one year something seemed to click inside me and all of a sudden I went from turning away from all the festivities to embracing them and guess what? All of a sudden life in the cold was so much more fun. I no longer saw Winter as a horrible shadow of tackiness and began to spend the whole of October celebrating Halloween and then the rest of the year celebrating Christmas. This change in attitude has made a massive difference to me and just makes life so much more fun and happy, even when it is pouring with rain there are ‘tidings of comfort and joy’ & I love it.
I like to think that my sudden conversion to all things festive was a subconscious decision to help me get out of my yearly slump and to reenergise me, and even if it wasn’t then it has still had that effect and it is brilliant. I now treat both celebrations as seasons (rather than just days) and love planning, decorating and getting as fully immersed in the experience as possible. I mean it only happens once a year so why not make the most of it! If you struggle with a lack of energy, bad moods or lack of motivation at this time of year I 100% recommend you choose to celebrate and I think you will be surprised how much it can help.
2. Embrace Autumn Colour on Good Weather DaysÂ
As well as going crazy for all things Christmas, another great way to enjoy this time of year is to get out and appreciate it! Autumn is such a beautiful season and I love to grab my camera, get outdoors snap pictures of all the gorgeous orange, red and yellow leaves. It is honestly so pretty and getting outside can be such a mood booster if you are struggling, it is definitely more effective than hiding in a duvet cave with Netflix (as great s that may sound). Take a moment to breathe and take in the beauty around you, I’m sure you will be surprised how much better you feel for it.
3. Make the Most of Bad Weather Days
If the weather turns against you, as it so often does as the Winter draws in, and you can’t go and embrace the Autumn colour then there is no need to despair. I will often be heard saying “Great!” when someone says that the weather forecast is rain and as strange as that might sound, wet weather days are great for a bit of TLC and are actually some of my most productive days. Yes, the weather is stopping you from going out, but that needn’t be a negative thing, I mean for starters think of all the things you can get done around the house that you have been meaning to do for weeks, months or even years! Put some tunes on and have that clear out, paint that room, catch up on some work or even have a ‘spring’ clean… in autumn. It is amazing what you can get done in a day when you don’t have to go out and by the time the evening rolls around you will have been so productive. You have definitely earned that cosy evening by the fire! Stick on your favourite film, light some candles, put the dinner in and let’s get cosy. I think that sounds like a pretty good day if you ask me… let’s bring on the rain and say no to the weather dampening our motivation!
4. Eat Well
Just because it is Winter does NOT mean you need to eat double the amount of everything to keep your spirits up, we are not hibernating people! In fact if you eat more, especially of the sweet stuff, it can actually have the opposite effect that you want it to have. You know that feeling after you have just eaten your Christmas dinner, that sleepy, lazy feeling? Well, the more you eat on top of your normal meals, the more you are going to feel like this and that is not going to help you break out of your slump, in fact it will feed it. The same goes for sugar because although it gives us a small boost, when that wears off it is almost guaranteed that you will feel the same or worse. This isn’t to say stop treating yourself during the winter months, we all need our comfort food and hot chocolates but just think before you choose your snacks, your body & mind will thank you for it.
I feel like I probably should have come up with five tips because for some reason that would be far more satisfying, but I’d rather keep this simple and manageable. I really hope that this helps any of you who are struggling with this time of year and if you have any more tips that you think would help people please share them in the comments. After all sharing is caring!
Love Holly x