The days and weeks following the excitement of the holidays can be dark and trying to find your motivation. Combine the fact that the joy and happiness of the holiday season has come to an end and that many people are feeling the burden of an even darker winter season due to COVID-19 the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is expecting a sharp rise in mental health issues this winter.
There is good news to follow this bad news and that is, there is some thing you can do about it. In fact, there are many somethings you can do about it to brighten your outlook on the winter season following the holidays.
Here are some great ideas you can do right now to help stave off the doldrums this winter season.
Get Outside. There is just something about nature that is healing. Feeling cool or cold air on your warm cheeks will brighten any day. Depending on where you live, you may need to bundle up in layers, but if you can get outside for a walk, a hike, a bike ride, or even just to sit outside and enjoy some fresh air, you will be feeling better in no time. Even better, if you can make a consistent effort to get outside every day or a couple times a week, your blues will melt away.
Make connections. It can be hard right now to make connections and while we're all a little Zoom'd out, it's important in the next few months that we check on each other and stay connected. You know the drill here, Zoom happy hours, conversations with grandparents, reconnecting with old friends, and many other "virtual" activities can brighten the spirits of you and those around you.
Disconnect. It is important to connect with those far away, but equally important is connecting with those that you are sharing a close space with. Whether family or friends are in your immediate COVID-19 bubble, you will want to make sure you put your device down and really connect with them. Here you can try board games, a simple game of 20-questions, card games, or anything that will keep a happy feeling afoot.
Do something you love. At the start of this pandemic you heard from all of those people who were learning how to bake bread or crochet and you might have thought, ya right, I am not going to be able to do something new. Why not rekindle something you love. Remember that hobby that you didn't have time for before, pick it back up and fall in love with it all over again.
You can do this. We've got your back. It can be hard, but we're in this together and we know that when we make it through this we'll be stronger for it.
