My goodness. How did it get to be Jan 22nd already!?!!! WOW. Pretty soon we will all be watching the days get longer and warmer again. Spring time is my favorite time of year but winter could also be fun. What are some of your favorite ways to combat the "S.A.D." post holiday January and February (who put that extra R there?)?

I don't like the cold but I do love taking a boiling hot shower and then getting into an electric blanket heated bed. Seems to relax me all over. And of course when it drops into the VERY cold nights here I have to give them ratings. Last night was a "3 cat" night. 4 cat nights are rare but I had a few last year when we lost electricity for days on end.

My Winter Blues Remedies:
🔹Cosy up with a good book.
🔹Layer up with colourful clothing
🔹Virtual walk in a warm country like Italy
🔹Hot spicy drinks like Chai latte
🔹A fleece blanket on my recliner
🔹Put on some music and 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼

Sometimes all of the above are needed 😂
And occasionally, a good kick 🥾up the backside.

I have found that if I can get outside for even 1/2 hour it helps. I focus on how refreshing the cold air is on my face, breath it in, and remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to be out there. And really, the secret to being outside in the cold is to dress right.

I also have a fantastic space for sewing and I can disappear in there for hours.

Honestly I don’t hate winter, probably because I’ve always “played” in the snow. As a matter of fact, some of my best childhood memories are with my cousins, being pulled behind a tractor on a toboggan. It’s a wonder no one got hurt - but oh my gosh how we laughed.

Pass day

January 22
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4 pass days used

This and yesterday's topics are nice and timely! I'll tackle both today since I'm feeling more up to it. I've struggled keeping up with MFP the last week or so, part of it is time but part of it is doldrums as referenced in the opener! 🤷‍♂️

SAD never affected me really until perhaps last year. So I don't have preventive measures. How I solved it last year was more of a side effect of tackling my overall well being with diet and exercise. I got outside and started moving. That's not an option right now as I still have to rest this plantar fasciitis impacted foot. It's better, but I've tried getting out and walking on it before after it started feeling better only to get set back further. This is a forced, long rest, until any echoes of discomfort are old memories.

Something I started trying this week was to wear some bone conduction earphones during the day listening to relaxing music at low volume as background noise. I can't definitively say it has helped, but I am feeling decent today. So there's that.

Otherwise I'm trying to be mindful of how I feel and address it, which is why I am going back on anxiety and depression meds (possibly TMI), those feelings were no longer addressable solely by mindfulness and working to stay on top of it. So some assistance is being enlisted there.

I also plan to resume strength exercises this week since I seem to be over my cold symptoms, which 100% matched my wife's COVID symptoms (she tested positive), but I tested negative. 🤷‍♂️

All that combined answers how I plan to address recent setbacks with diet and exercise.

Yikes, another long post. 🤷‍♂️

In case I didn't use this emoji enough here's another 🤷‍♂️