My Winter Wellness Checklist

Dear Loved One, The temperatures have dropped. & So has my mood and energy levels. This could only mean 1 thing… Seasonal Depression is upon us. Luckily, I have been dealing with this for some time so I have found some helpful ways to combat this mental monster, so I want to share what I am doing to hopefully help you. Here is my Winter Wellness Checklist: * Scheduling weekly therapy appointments. I was doing biweekly but, the extra check ins are going to be imperative to fight the winter blues. Therapy has been so good since I started doing EMDR and just having someone to process with and talk to about stuff I might not be able to discuss with anyone else. It gets deep yall for real. * Scheduling time with friends & family. I am naturally introverted but that can be detrimental when it starts getting cold out and we start isolating real bad. It’s hard to be an adult and have friends, so I just reach out to my girls and see when they have free time and we put something on the calendar if not the current month then the following. Or I will invite people over for dinner. I am also going to prioritize going over to visit friends and family instead of being a hobbit burying myself into my couch cushions. * Nature walks. I don’t like the cold. But I have a new dog and he needs walks and I need sunlight so, it’s a win for us both. * Creating a cozy home. I got my heated blanket, we got some new furniture and I got some new pajamas. If I am going to be in the house I am going to be comfortable while I do it. * Indulging in new hobbies (or old ones) I love to color, paint and read but I do want to learn how to make bread from scratch so that’s on my list of things to do and I might get back in to gaming. I’ve also been writing alot more as well. * Taking my vitamins I take vitamin d3 with K2, this is not medical advice, but I take it to help with my hormones and since we won’t be getting as much sunlight moving forward its going to be crucial for my mood. I’m also going to be taking Black Girl Vitamins, I will let yall know how that goes as well. * My sunlight alarm clock Since the sun is going down earlier, I have an alarm clock that mimics the sun and also plays birds chirping. At night I turn the light to red as red light helps you to fall asleep better. The more you know. Let me know what wellness tips you’ll be using for yourself as the months and days get colder, I might be using some! With Love & hella Warmth, Starr Thanks for reading Letters From A Loved One! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saunyastarrj.substack.com/subscribe