As we make our way into the winter months, it is easy to feel lethargic, depressed and all around lousy. If you feel blah when winter rolls around, you are not alone. Seasonal Affective Disorder effects a lot of people. I’ve compiled a list of things you can do to help combat seasonal affective disorder.
1. Make sure you are eating enough protein and healthy fats. Examples: chicken, beef, tofu, pork, avocado, raw nuts, raw nut butter, ghee and coconut oil. (I’ve included a few high protein, high fat recipes below).
2. Get enough sleep but do not oversleep. Try to get seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Anything more and you might feel groggy throughout the day.
3. Exercise: Light movement is great if you are low energy. Yoga, Pilates, stretching and walking are all great options. I like doing hot yoga during the winter months. A one-time class at CorePower is $30. Another great work out is The Sculpt Society. The app is $19.00 a month and totally worth it. Think Pilates meets yoga, meets stretching, meets Barre. You do need 2lb weights for some of the exercises. If you don’t have hand weights, use two cans.
4. Get outside: Even if it is freezing, getting natural light in your eyes is so helpful for energy levels and regulating your circadian rhythm. Bundle up and take a walk and listen to a podcast.
5. Take a hot bath: Use oils, salts and candles to promote ultimate relaxation. My favorite oil is Amber oil from Whole Foods ($19.00), I also love Lotus ($19.99).
6. Be hyper diligent about taking your meds. If you are really struggling, ask your doctor if upping your meds during the winter months would be appropriate. Speak up for yourself if you feel like you need extra support. do Not be ashamed or anxious to ask about changing your dosage.
7. Do not skip therapy: No matter how tired you are, get your ass to therapy. It is so easy to skip when the weather is bad, do not skip.
8. Shower and get dressed every day: This makes all the difference in the world when it comes to your mental health. Get out of bed the second your alarm goes off. Shower, brush your teeth, put on deodorant, brush your hair.
9. Do not nap: Napping can leave you feeling more tired and mess with your sleep cycle.
10. Wake up at the same time every day: again, this will help regulate your circadian rhythm. Make your bed immediately and get out of the bedroom. The temptation to stay in bed on cold winter days is strong. If you leave your bedroom quickly, you won’t be tempted to jump back under the covers. I bought a Hatch alarm clock a few months ago and it is a game changer. Rather than blasting you awake with a jarring noise, the Hatch wakes you up gently with light and nature mimicking sounds. It’s amazing and worth the investment if you have trouble getting up in the morning. Another product that I think is worth the investment is the ChiliSleep. It is a pad you put under your sheets that heats or cools with water channels. It is amazing. It also has an alarm function. Instead of noise it gently heats up and you wake up naturally. It is expensive but it is awesome.
11. Make reasonable to-do lists: When the weather is dark and bleak, it is easy to put off tasks and get behind. Make a 5-point to-do list every night for the next day. This will help you stay on task when you are lacking energy. iF YOU NEED HELP GETTING STARTED, USE THIS DAILY PLANNER.
12. Cold plunge: This might sound counterintuitive but hear me out. The benefits of cold plunge are real, and they are very powerful. If you need a dopamine hit that lasts hours get in a cold tank. If you do not have access to a cold tank, take a freezing cold shower or bath. Try to start with 30 seconds and work your way up to three minutes. Yes, it is hard, and I hate doing it, but the benefits are immediate. If you have access to a cold plunge and sauna, go back and forth between the two always ending with cold. If you want a more in-depth description of all the benefits of cold plunging, go listen to the Andrew Huberman podcast, he discusses cold plunge in several of his episodes.
13. Pick up a new hobby: It is so easy to binge television when its cold and dark outside. Try something creative and inexpensive. Knitting, sewing, reading, drawing, walking, cooking, baking, crafting. If you still really want to binge tv, do the new hobby while watching tv. I started baking and reading this year. I still have housewives on in the background while I’m baking… baby steps, right?
14. Make sure you take a vitamin d supplement. Our vitamin d levels go down if we are not getting enough sunlight. Low vitamin d levels can lead to fatigue, brain fog and an all around “blah” feeling. Ask your doctor or health care provider what dose they recommend.
15. If you do facial treatments, do them in the winter. Skin care is for sure a form of self-care and if you like to do chemical peels, the winter is the best time to get those services done because you don’t have to worry about a lot of sun exposure.
16. Get a spray tan. It will boost your mood immediately. I get mine at Sugared & Bronzed in Highland Park. Their tanning formula is all natural and looks very natural. They have four levels; I like to get the number 2.
17. Stay current on your waxing or sugaring appointments. We feel good when we are taking care of ourselves. Don’t let your maintenance go to the wayside just because its winter.
18. Invest in a weighted blanket. It calms the parasympathetic nervous system and helps me fall asleep much faster.
https://gravityblankets.com/products/gravity-blanket
19. Use fragrance to boost your mood: Scent is such a strong sense. Find an essential oil you love and put it in a diffuser. If you are feeling run down and tired, try something with ginger, citrus or eucalyptus. I like using astringent scents in the winter to give me a quick energy boost. I also love using my go-to Amber oil from Whole Foods in a diffuser, it makes the entire house smell clean and warm.
20. Take shots of raw ginger juice. You can make yours at home if you have a juicer. Ginger gives you a quick, natural boost of energy and an instant warming sensation. If you do not have a juicer, The Gem Juice Bar has great ginger shots. You can also find ginger shots in the cold juice section of pretty much any grocery store. Trader Joes has a great one too.
21. Make sure you are hydrating your insides as well as your outsides. Our skin can get dry and crack from the cold. Use Vaseline or a very heavy cream on your hands and feet before bed. I have tried slugging before on my face and if you are not acne prone, I think it is effective. Slugging is where you do your entire skin care routine and then cover your face with a thick layer of Vaseline. It makes the skin so soft and moisturized.
22. Make plans with friends: It is so easy to curl up and hibernate all winter, this is not good for mental health. Loneliness is as bad for you as smoking cigarettes. Plan a movie date or bundle up and walk around the lake with a group of friends. Try to stay away from the bar scene and focus more on activities rather than just eating and drinking.
23. Take a class: Central Market and Sur La Table have cooking classes all year long. Grab a friend and take a class.
24. If taking a class at night isn’t an option because of work, plan a lunch date at a fancy restaurant. I love going to nice restaurants for lunch because its more affordable and usually not as crowded.
25. Listen to a fun podcast. I love a good self-help podcast but sometimes we just need something funny. This Past Weekend with Theo Von is always weird and hilarious.
Big Winter Salad:
This is like the Harvest Bowl at Sweet Green. Make a big batch and enjoy it for days. To ensure the leftovers do not wilt, only add dressing and avocado to your individual serving.
3 cups Kale
2 Grapefruits
5 Cutie Oranges
½ Red onion
1 Honey crisp apple
Goat cheese (as much as you want)
2 Cups 7 grain rice
Baked chicken or tofu
1 Avocado
½ cup Crushed almonds
2 Baked cubed sweet potatoes
Dressing:
2 tablespoons Dijon
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons Salt
1 ½ teaspoons Pepper
Combine all ingredients and whisk until combined. Pour dressing over individual serving so the leftovers do not wilt.
***Make sure to dress your greens with extra virgin olive oil and massage it with salt and pepper before adding the other ingredients.***
Bake chicken for 20 minutes at 350 degrees
Bake the potato for an hour at 400 degrees
Bake chicken and sweet potatoes first and set aside
Supreme two grapefruits and 5 Cutie oranges
Slice ½ large red onion
Chop up one honey crisp apple
Cook two cups of 7 grain rice
Combine all ingredients except cubed avocado. Add cubed avocado last and only to the serving you are about to eat. Add fresh avocado to leftovers when ready to eat.
Sweet Potato Sloppy Joes
I originally found this recipe on the Whole 30 website. I’ve tweaked it a little to give the beef more flavor. I’ve made some version of this recipe at least ten times. It is so good and perfect for really cold days.
Cook sweet potatoes in the croc pot with salt and ghee (8 hours on low)
Sautee one yellow onion and 1 tablespoon of garlic in a pan with ghee
When the onions are translucent:
Add 1 cup of diced red bell pepper
Add 1 cup broccoli florets
Cook until broccoli is cooked through with a little char
In a separate pan:
Cook 1 package of ground bison or ground beef
Add 1 can of green chilis
Add 1/2 tablespoon salt
Add 1 tablespoon cumin
Add 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ tablespoon pepper
½ tablespoon chile powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon worstershire
¼ cup beef broth
Add ghee and salt to sweet potato
combine beef mixture with veggie mixture and Serve over the sweet potato
Stuffed & Baked Chicken
This recipe is heavy and perfect for super cold weather. I originally found this recipe in a Keto cookbook. If you want to go crazy, add bacon to your filling mixture.
Chicken breasts
Chicken brine:
5 cups water
½ cup salt
2 Tablespoons of pepper
3 lemons
Let the chicken brine as long as possible, ideally, overnight.
Remove chicken from brine, pat dry and pound thin.
Season both sides with
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Make the mixture:
1 Package cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup freshly chopped green onions
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dill
1 tablespoon basil
Spread the mixture on the thinly pounded chicken
Roll up chicken breast
Cook at 350 for 20 minutes
Protein Banana Bread Gluten Free
This protein bread is delicious and great for snacking. The whole house will smell amazing and I think it tastes just as good as real banana bread.
2 cups almond flour
4 scoops of protein powder (ideally vanilla)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 over ripe bananas
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk of choice
½ cup almond butter
¼ cup chia seeds
Combine all ingredients and bake on 350 for 25 minutes..
Icing:
Cream cheese (or Kite Hill vegan cream cheese)
¼ cup lakanto sweetener
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and frost the banana bread once it is cooled
High Fat Mint Protein Smoothie
This will keep you full for hours and it tases incredible. This is a perfect post workout treat.
2 Scoops Vanilla or Chocolate Protein
½ Cup frozen avocado chunks (you can find these in the frozen section or you can make your own)
½ cup milk of your choice
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee
½ tablespoon cinnamon
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
Combine all ingredients in the blender and enjoy.