Seasonal Joyfullness
Tips to prevent seasonal depression + 12 warming, grounding, mood boosting recipes
Goooood morning and happy Sunday beautifuls. I am sipping on some shilajit dandelion tea + of course my frothy superhero latte. I also can’t stop eating grilled cheese and tomato soup, current obsession. I had the most fun Thanksgiving with my family, and it truly made my whole entire day seeing you make my recipes. All of your dinners looked incredible.
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We’re at that time in the year where the morning is chilly cold winter and then in the afternoon it’s like a hot summer day. I am kind of ready for it to be total winter. Although I say that and then as soon as the sun goes away I am like where did the sun go come backkkk.
I am grateful to live in California where we have the sun (mostly) all year round. It is super necessary for me because I really do notice a huge difference on my mood and energy when the sun is in hiding. I can’t imagine living in a place where the whole season is gloomy and dark, but I get that that is how it is for a lot of people, so I wanted to chat a bit about how to improve mood during this winter szn.
How to Help Prevent Symptoms of Seasonal Depression
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When we lose normal daylight hours + sunlight along with it, it can really affect our mood and energy. These tips have helped me tremendously in reversing those negative symptoms caused by the winter months.
Go to sleep earlier, wake up earlier. The time change causes the sun to go down earlier and rise earlier, which means you should follow suit. Spend as much time during light hours as possible. (PS: I sleep longer hours in the winter, my body NEEDS more sleep during this time and that is normal. Tune in and listen to your body!)
TIP: I keep my phone charging in a diff room with my alarm and this helps me so much with getting up in the morning + it is not good for sleep or health to sleep next to your phone anyways!
During sunlight hours, get outside. Even if the sun is not shining and it is hidden behind clouds and gloomy, getting outside still matters. First thing in the morning is best, but throughout the day is also wonderful. Reduce usage of glasses, sunglasses, sunscreen and contact lenses while trying to get intentional exposure to light.
During dark hours, reduce artificial light. When it is dark outside but you are still awake, try to switch to red light + candles. Reduce exposure to florescent light + blue light as much as possible. If you have to be on blue light - I recommend getting a good pair of blue light glasses.
Red light therapy + Light therapy. I try to do infrared light every morning when I wake up. I use the DDG Red light mask and then dry brush under infrared light lamp. There are also sun + vitamin D lamps that mimic sunlight if you are unable to get outside (but nothing is as good as the natural light!)
Eat warming, grounding + seasonal foods. During the winter prioritizing grounding warming foods is key to center and warm your body from within. Think root vegetables, squash, herbs + spices, sweet potatoes, soups, bone broth, raw dairy, herbal teas, high quality proteins. (TIP: Eating with the sun has also helped me from a whole body health perspective. Of course sometimes I will eat after the sun goes down but I do try to shift it to eating earlier in the morning and the evening just as I shift my sleep schedule.)
Prioritize movement. Moving your body (even if you really don’t feel like it) is essential. I personally prioritize a lot of deep stretching + bodywork during this time. Reducing cardio and high impact movement. Slow intentional movement is what I’ve found works best for me, and walking whenever I can!
Hydration. Make sure you are hydrating with good quality minerals during this time (and always). Filtered water, spring water, mineral salt (I like celtic, redmond or Mediterranean), bone broth, coconut water, raw dairy, herbal tea, shilajit.
Slow evenings, slow mornings. I like to make space to have slow intentional mornings and evenings for myself. This is giving myself at least one extra hour to move slow and be intentional - no phone, no computer.
Journaling, meditation, breath work. Winter is a time for reflection. I feel as if these modalities really help me to reflect and work as a way to release unwanted emotion. Also super important to help tap into your rest + digest state.
Prioritize energy givers + creative outlets. It is important to spend more time on things that you love that give you energy and make you happy during this time. Find a fun new creative outlet or hobby that helps you to grow. I like painting and artwork, reading and writing, and then of course cooking + bakingggg.
Supplementation. Sometimes supplementation is necessary (of course address the basics of health first otherwise it is pointless) but some of my favorites during this time are magnesium glycinate, vitamin D and curcumin.
I hope this helps you out to improve mood during these winter months…. Home cooking and baking is one of the top things that boost my mood during these months. A lot of fun new holiday baking to come.
This Week’s Grocery List + Recipe Ideas
12 delicious warming grounding mood boosting recipes for you this week plus a grocery list to make it easy. Let’s. Get. Into. It.