Help Your Mood During the Holidays

Have you ever gotten the winter blues? I know I have! And I still do. While I can't pin-point exactly what it is that gives me the blues, I would have to say that it is a combination of the longer nights and shorter days that make me feel like I'm getting less done each day, the fact that the month seems to go by faster (or maybe that's because I just changed my calendar to December and realized we are like half way through already...oops!), and it gets colder which never helps anyone (except Jack Frost). So, I went on a search for things that would help my mood (and yours too!) during these winter months. And some of the things that I found really surprised me! I'm going to list a few of them here and I really hope that this helps to brighten your holidays! :)
The scent of peppermint is a natural mood enhancer. This stuff not only smells really good (and tastes awesome) but it can increase your motivation and concentration! Who knew candy canes were so good for you?

Keep hydrated. Winter is a time when we tend to feel dryer, maybe not dehydrated so much as our skin gets dry and that's because the air outside is dryer. Make sure the keep your body hydrated, by drinking water and also using lotions to help with your dry or cracking skin! I suggest Pacifica Body Butter or Olay Body Lotion, both have worked really well for me in the past and I stick with them! Just because there is snow on the ground doesn't mean that we need to drink less water, if anything it means we need to keep drinking more even! This can also be applied to your hair, which may start to dry out more especially if it doesn't fully dry before you walk outside in the morning after your shower (guilty). For this switch to a hydrating conditioner instead, trust me it actually helps!

Also, keep exercising throughout the holiday season. I know we are all busy seeing relatives and shopping and trying to drive through heavy traffic and snow (at least up here in WI), but just 30 minutes a day, 3-4 days a week can really make a difference! Not only will you be staying healthy during the winter (when the majority of Americans put on the most weight all year), but exercising naturally makes you happy. This has to do with hormones which I won't get into right now because honestly, most people just don't care, just know that exercising can really make you happy!
What is the one thing that tends to be missing during winter months? Sunlight! Yes, our main source of Vitamin D, take some Vitamin D supplements during this sunless and cloud filled time (I will remind you that I am not a doctor and am not yet a certified personal trainer, so I'm not prescribing anything just giving out the advice I have heard, disclaimer over.).
And lastly, make sure you keep laughing and listening to awesome music! Both of these things are proved to help with those winter blues.

I hope that some of these things at least helped :P To start it off, I'm going to leave here an uplifting song that I am actually currently listening to (I'm not afraid to share my music!) and has put a smile on my face sitting here in my room in an over sized sweater and sweats....studying (after posting this).

Happy Holidays!
Love,
Sara :)