We’re right in the thick of January blues, and with gloomy days comes the dreaded seasonal affective disorder; sluggish body + mind, feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and overall exhaustion. If you check any of those boxes, today’s post is for you. Get back to your well and joyful self with these quick remedies:

1. Get up from your seat (yes, right this minute!) and stretch. Reach your arms and fingertips to the sky, then just a little bit higher, down to your toes, windmill your arms. Stretch your body however feels good for you. Activate your muscles gently, remind yourself how good it feels to take breaks from the screen, and feel the shift in energy.
2. Dry brush. This is something I have yelled from the mountaintops to anyone and everyone who will listen. It’s my favorite anti-inflammatory go-to, and something I do (at least) once, but sometimes twice daily. I love the way it wakes up my muscles, moves the lymph, helps blood flow and circulation, and it feels like a hug for your body. It only takes a single minute. Try it and you’ll be hooked, I know it!
3. Do something hard ((even, and *especially* if you don’t want to)). According to Dr. Huberman, when we complete a hard task that we didn’t want to do, it bumps a massive dopamine boost to our system. This creates feelings of satisfaction, pleasure, and motivation.
4. Take a shower. Bonus points for a minute or two on the cold setting. This helps to change your state, and no matter how you’re feeling before, everyone feels better after a shower.
5. Have a salty water. Each morning I fill my water jug with a packet of electrolytes. The salt and magnesium make me feel completely hydrated, the minerals help turn nutrients into energy, and they also help boost digestion. A win all around!
6. Clean something. I know, the last thing you want to do when you’re feeling bleh is to clean. But hear me out. Did you know when you procrastinate it causes anxiety in your nervous system which raises your cortisol level and makes you feel even more sluggish?! So when we tackle a drawer, a load of laundry, a countertop – anything where we can visually see an improvement after – we feel that dopamine rush we talked about in #3.
7. Micro burst of exercise. When I’m in a writing zone, I’m wrapped in a cocoon by my favorite blanket of all time, unwilling to get up for fear of losing creative flow…and also that warm delicious spot on the couch. But alas, my watch dings that I need to stand up so it knows I’m still alive, and thank goodness for that because every time without fail that I get up and move – I feel SO much better; refreshed and recharged for my next task. Instead of just standing, I’m trying something new that I love. I try to get in as many jumping jacks (you can do half stars for low impact!), running punches, fast feet, or squats as I can in 2 minutes. It’s such a short amount of time that we can squeeze it in no matter what, and you elevate your energy exponentially. Plus, you feel pretty proud of yourself that you didn’t just hit the ignore button.

No matter how bad you think you’re feeling, energy-wise, health-wise, mindset-wise; know you’re not alone. It’s not you, it’s the winter blues. Take the next first step to finding your way to your most well and joyful self and the next step will be even easier. Before you know it, you’ll be basking in the sunshine and your well will be plentiful again!

XO, Kaylea