Battle the Winter Blues Pt.1

January 16, 2015

I grew up in Ohio, where Spring doesn’t arrive till May. I loved to ski, and would rejoice over snow, but ohhh by March I would swear I was moving to warmer temps. Well that dream eventually happened (hello Atlanta!), but I still have a tough time with January. It has been dreary and cold all week and when you are confined indoors and cut off from Vitamin D, it is too easy to get in to a chinese and netflix rut, am I right?? So I decided to be pro-active this season with doing things that will help me battle the winter blues with my fists up. I started this over on instagram, but thought it would be good to carry it over here! I’ve got ideas for my little ones integrated in this list too, because poor things are like caged tiger cubs longingly waiting for the sun to come out and play. They have much more imagination than I do though, so usually they are giving me ideas:) Read on and then leave me your ideas please!

Throw kindness around like confetti

1. Surround yourself with quotes that butter your bread – Ones that get you up in the morning, that keep you going through the tough deadlines, that remind you of your purpose, and ones that make you laugh. You should see my mirror…
(This print was a gift, and hand painted by Bianca Cash)

Heart Waffles - Hot breakfast Idea

2. Make a hot breakfast – Food is my love language….as well as my children’s…and my husband’s. Sooo win win with this one. I get pretty lazy in the kitchen for breakfast. Cold cereal is much easier than getting pots and pans dirty, but you know what, when your belly is full of hot food, you feel like no one can rock your boat now! At least for me…:D Again, food is my love language friends.(Heart waffles were a little ambitious…)

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3. Act of service – We can get so caught up in our own daily schedules and routine, and it is so easy to coast through a month without having really looked around us. So many people need to be reminded they are cherished, loved, or appreciated. There are so many ways to share acts of service, so I’d love to hear your ideas??! I picked up some flower bunches and gave them to a few pals for various reasons because unless you are allergic to them, they can remind you there is life beyond winter and that maybe someone was thinking about you;) I also had a mother from Gabe’s school recently who made us a meal for no reason, and I tell you what. That went a long way in my most appreciative heart.

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4. Vitamin C – Loads of it.  I’ve been making it a goal to give my family and I plenty of Vitamin C through the fruit of the season! As well as fruit in general. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries (thanks Sprouts), Omega Swirl, and all those good brain foods that battle the colds and keep you feeling energized.

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5. Put on some bold lipstick, and maybe get it all over someone you love. Pucker up.

This is just the start of my list, but I’ll be adding to it! So please, leave your ideas in the comment section below so I can make this stretch till the end of February (when Spring usually arrives in GA;))
Play along on instagram: if you do any of the above over the next few weeks, use the hashtag #BattletheWinterBlues because it is much for fun to troop through this together.

Enjoy the long weekend friends!

Leave a Comment

  • Really cute post. I definitely think these are all really good tips to help brighten up those long days on winter when you are just waiting for them to be over!

    Rae | love from berlin

  • Yes, I love making a hot breakfast…but it seems to take ten times as long to make than it does to eat!!

    http://vodkaandarose.blogspot.co.uk

    • Which is exactly why I skip it so often. Twice a week is my usual. I found instant steel cut oats that have been warming our bellies this week:) 5 min, and no pots and pans! ha!

  • Great list- love the act of service :)! Cooking is def my love language too so I’m usually baking or using the oven a lot and it helps keep our place nice and warm too 😉 Milwaukee gets pretty freezing but we have quite a few places we can visit during the winter months to help beat the blues! Like the Mitchell domes- they are these huge conservatories with different climates. I wrote a posted pics on it last week- so nice to walk around and have my toddler run around and remember what green plants look like! haha!

    xo, Keila

  • I live in Minneapolis (or as my family in Wisconsin call it – Siberia – though Wisconsin is just as cold) so I hear you on winter. But here people really embrace winter. The last few weeks hovered around zero or below and this week it’s nudged up to 25 which means getting outside. I took my pup for an hour long walk in the snow yesterday and we both felt super revived (at least I assume she did as she pranced and licked and ran) afterward then we came home and snuggled up with my husband on the couch under a mound of blankets and drank hot tea. The Dutch call this ‘hygge’ which loosely translates to ‘coziness’ and ‘togetherness’, which you have to embrace in winter (lest you go crazy) and even (gasp!) enjoy it.

    • Melanie, thank you so much for your comment. I just love that so much! I think getting outdoors is so important to feeling renewed. And it is true, that it brings so much togetherness with your loved ones:) Great perspective! Hats of to any MN dwellers;)

  • Love these tips, Anna! You’re such a good wife and mother 🙂

  • Great post really enjoyed reading this! Totally feel the same so am going to try and incorporate the some of these things into my life too 🙂 x
    http://www.mishabeauty.com

  • Ways to beat the winter blues for us include 1) skiing 2) lots of tea 3) vitamin D drops and 4) ice skating. Though we are in a pizza at netflix rut as well!

  • Sharyn Busick

    You always put a lot of thought/effort into these posts and it shows! We love to hang onto the giving spirit of the holidays going forward into a new year. I design cards and stationery as a hobby and a few years ago, tried to think of how I could use it as more of a ministry. So I started going once a month to an assisted living and making them with the residents. It is so much fun and rewarding – a total win for each of us. If I want my son to understand God’s directive to serve others, I have to model it myself. Great post! 🙂

    • Oh what a good heart you have. Service really makes this world turn and I want my kids to see the same. We have been talking about visiting assisted living homes forever so thank you for the idea and the reminder to get going! x

  • My best way to get out of a rut is to look forward to something good. So I might be weird, but I really enjoy planning trips and vacations, even if it’s just a short getaway.

    You’re always welcome to visit us in Tampa! 😀

  • I will def be doing more of #1, #3, and of,course #5 🙂 Love your list, they will surely beat those winter blues! Cannot wait to see what you add!!
    xoxo Danielle
    http://stylecrushdiaries.blogspot.com

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