Been cranky and out of sorts lately? Has it been a little hard to get up in the morning? Have you finally put away all the Holiday decor only to find the house a little empty? Maybe even caught yourself a little case of the SADs (Seasonal Affective Disorder)? If so, fear not, brave soul, your girl here, has got you covered. Read on to get the goods.
Ah, the winter blahs, who doesn’t end up with them at some point in time? And for some of us it’s practically a yearly ritual. That moment in time when the endless grey and white and cold and chapped lips and cracked skin, that can really get you down. The good news? There is a cure. It’s all in the fun, i.e. tiny, actionable ways to break up the monotony & get on board with the winter magic available to us all.
So with no further delay, here they are!
1. Ladies who Brunch
Don’t turn away! TRUST. I know what I’m doing here.
Because even though you know all about brunch, what you don’t know is that turning a regular routine moment, — breakfast on an ordinary dull day — into something special, is a guaranteed mood buster.
And when *you* do brunch, solo, you get to do it your way.
Take a weekend morning where you’d normally stay stuck in your grubbiest sweats for far longer than what is called for (or wanted), and change it up. Plan a beautiful, brunch just for you. Set the table, use your best plates, or at the very least, use the fun ones.
Set the mood with your fave brunch beats. Wear your best pajamas, or your cutest warm weather outfit and make the French toast or baby dutchman that dreams are made of, all for you.
Triple points if you attempt this on weekday morning when you really should be working, wink, wink. It’ll be our little secret.
2. Holiday Re-do
Perform a Holiday miracle, a mini redo of the favorite parts of your favorite Holidays sans the family or friend drama.
And don’t just think Christmas or Hanukah, oh Contraire. Still craving cranberries and pumpkin pie in January? Thanksgiving it is! Got October thrills and candied apples, on the mind? Halloween in February? Brilliant! Let’s not be boring, darlings. Let’s be wildly inappropriately us. No matter the season.
So, put out one of your favorite Holiday decor pieces, set the table again, bring back that ugly sweater, or the fab Beth Dutton costume, and plan a Holiday redux, with all the fun, and none of the stress. Maybe even make this one fresher, and try out some new recipes, and new people to party with!
The key here is to have fun. So plan for something small, silly and infinitely do-able in a weekend or less. And, this is terribly important: easily cleaned up after, if you’re a wise woman. Trust me, future you, will thank you. Now, get on with your bad self!
3. Get Seasonal with your Palate.
Believe or not winter is prime citrus season. Lemons, grapefruit, blood oranges, tangerines and even pineapples, are at their stellar best right now.
So why not make the most of the sunny beautiful hues and tart taste? Make a table setting with the gorgeously uplifting hue. Put a bowl of lemons out as decor. Add a yellow scarf to coat. Grab a pair of yellow rain boots.
Cook with it. An Ohio Shaker Pie and a Fennel-Orange shaved salad are my delicious go-to’s and tradition, but I’m always open to something new. Are you?
Other ideas: Make limoncello. Make a lemon bundt cake. Broil grapefruit halves with brown sugar on top for sweet tart breakfast treat. Make a chicken and lemon soup.
4. Nighttime is the Right Time
The repentantly short days and long dark nights naturally call on us to put our attention on our nighttime rituals. What’s yours?
Gasp! Don’t tell me you don’t have one! …Or maybe your’s is on auto-pilot. No problemo! There’s no time like winter time to get that straightened out.
Make a simple night time habit for you to fall in love with, and word to the wise here, go for something sensual, lush and fun. Think frou-frou not sensible choices, pleeeaaasee. Your ritual should be something to se you up to slow down, breath deeply and really relax.
Some ideas to get you started: your favorite hot tea and a really good book to read before bed. A scented nighttime spray for your pillows that helps you relax, or an essential oil blend for your pressure points. A favorite indulgent magazine to flip through, like Elle decor or Vogue or a Cosmo. An upgrade to your sheets or pillowcases to something more sumptuous.
There are some other sensual options here too. But I’ll leave that to your imagination. ;)
5. Make the most of Winter Weather Magic
Winter weather? Inevitable. So let’s plan for it. How about making the most of it for an hour or two of hygge magic on a slow weekend, when you have lots of time.
Acquire the perfect cozy blankets, make the most indulgent hot beverage, think boozy extra rich hot chocolate or a kahlua spiked coffee topped with homemade whip cream. Put on the fuzzy socks and the soft fleecy joggers.
And then find a view. A fireplace if you have it, and a window to watch the snow fall or the bluest twilight to stretch across the endless white landscape. Some music couldn’t hurt, just to help set the mood, don’t you think?
No snow? No cold? No go for watching the weather? Worse comes to worse, find your absolute favorite winter movie. Dr. Zhivago, anyone? Little women? Fargo? :D Pick your pleasure.
Bonus points if you find a willing snuggle buddy for this. Very hygge of you!
6. Winter Self-care
Hey, it’s cold and dry out there! So how’s your winter self-care? Is it time to invest in a little extra something something to help you make it through this the skin and hair damaging season of the year?
Sure, sure you‘re a good girl, you moisturize that pretty face, but what about the rest of you? Cause those elbows, legs and other bits could probably use a little extra love right about now. How about upping your moisturizer?
Is your room too arid? Air to dry isn’t healthy for you or your skin. Consider investing in a humidifier, it can help your skin and your ability to ward off the cold and flu.
A few other ideas: Do you have enough fluffy warm socks, or scarves to get you by? Do you need gloves for that winter drive to work? Woman, give yourself what you need to thrive in this weather. You’re worth the investment. And there’s no merit badge for toughing it out.
7. Create your own Tropical Oasis
Well, you know what they say: If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain.
So if Summer ain’t coming any time soon, we’re just going to have make own heat. How about delivering your own private tropical, and sunny oasis? Why not turn your bathroom into a retreat?
I’m usually all for bubble baths with champagne and strawberries, but why not create one with some tropical scents, a few plumeria blooms if you can manage, and a great little Hawaiian play list to vibe to? Body oils in tropical scents are easy to find, and if not strawberries and champagne, why not some fresh pineapple or mango to nibble along with a Mai tai or Pina colada? Or my favorite…
Or, if you’re not really the bath or alone time type why not invite friends over to a themed dinner party? Plan a little escape to the tropical destination of your choice for all. You could make a Caribbean themed meal, or host a luau. Maybe a Jamaican themed potluck and ask everyone to bring an appropriate dish, yeah?
8. Soup for the Soul
There really is something healing about the scent of homemade soup simmering on the stove. It can make a lot of terrible things, if not better, than definitely more ok-ish.
Why not let it work it’s magic on you? It doesn’t need to be the traditional chicken, unless you want it to be.
There’s also colorful, crunchy and spicy Somali Chicken Soup with red cabbage and radishes, or homey Taiwanese Beef noodle soup scented with anise and filled with comforting udon noodles. Prefer your cuisine fussy, and French, then why not go for the traditional French Onion Soup that proves a lot can be made with little? Which is a nice little lesson for winter, non?
9. Invest in the World Outside your Door
One of the best decisions I ever made to help with the winter blah’s was to invest in a bird feeder outside my morning window. It made waking up and sipping coffee a little adventure. Every morning I got to wonder, who would show up? A song bird? The little larks? The coupled pair of Mourning Doves?
Better yet, was the feeling of getting to help others out through their tough winter, while I was helping me get out of mine.
It doesn’t have to be a bird feeder, but I highly recommend you find a way to help out others in little ways. The feeling of helping, of being of use, is mood elevator for sure (and needed in a world like ours).
So, invest in a bird feeder. Take a meander out on the levy or to the local duck ponds and help nourish them with a healthy snack. Donate your time or supplies to a local animal shelter.
And of course, there are always other humans in need of a helping hand. Give food to the homeless. Visit some of your elderly neighbors who’ve shown an interest in chatting with you.
Doesn’t matter how you help, big or small, just go out into the winter world and see who needs you, as much as you need them.
10. Make Your Own Light in the World
As we’re living through the darkest (and longest) nights of the year, we might as well get some mileage out of them. Think candles.
And please, do not discount the magic and pleasure of candlelight. There is no better time for getting all those candles out of that closet or drawer where many of you have been hoarding them and start lighting them. Now is the time when their light pays off big!
But better yet, why not have a little impromptu creative fun with them? Make a grouping of your candles, a center piece for the table, a mantle of light for a fireplace, or even a grouping for an entryway table?
Make the inside of your home as magical as the flurry of snow happening outside.
11. Embrace your Inner Collector
Most of us have favorite things we like to collect. For me it’s cookbooks. I probably have more than I could ever cook from, but that’s not going to stop me from trying. Perusing them while I’m forced indoors helps me to keep my sanity.
In a previous year it was colorful inks for my favorite fountain pen, which made journaling and writing a real pleasure. And the year before that it was a bevy of beautiful houseplants. For some of you it’s nick-nicks for your home all in a theme, blue and white or with a flower motif.
For my mother it’s yarn. Spools of beautiful yarns all awaiting her needles. I have a friend who like Carrie Bradshaw, revels in collecting high end shoes. For you it might be mysteries, or travel books. Snow globes, or beautiful art as an investment.
How about you? What is your favorite small item indulgent purchase or obsession?
Whatever it is, now is the time to indulge in it. Scour the internet for finds, go window shopping online. Dust off your collection and peruse those book. Whether you buy yourself something beautiful or just dream, it’s time well spent on snowy drizzly winter weekend.
12. Ditch the Dull Resolutions & Re-ignite your Real Desire
Hey, too many of us our weighing ourselves down with dull as dishwater goals. Dutiful, half-hearted resolutions we make about losing weight, paying things off, adding to the savings, or sticking with that budget.
Or we make vision boards of tropical vacations, ladies in swinging in hammocks, and expensive cars and mansions with five stall garage we think everyone must want.
But be honest, do you really want any of that stuff? Either the sensible stuff that has you playing small, or that other flashy stuff we’ve merely been sold?
When your goals elicit the same excitement as an arranged marriage by dear old mom and dad, let me tell you…. Babe, you are on the wrong path. If you wanna get jonesing for the year, you’re going to have to do something really wild:
Ditch the dull and the one-size-fits-all goals. Get you a goal that feels like an episode of Outlander: Hot, sexy, can’t-keep-my-hands-off-you desire.
Less sensible marriage, more wild Italian lover you met traipsing around on the Riviera in barely-there underwear. You know, the One your family would definitely raise an eyebrow over if you brought them over for dinner.
Ditch ONE of your boring stodgy goals. And instead, go for a goal that feels like a deliciously naughty, illicit love affair. The one that puts a pep in your step, even if (maybe even especially if) no one but you knows about it. Maybe you’ve dreamt of moving to Italy for decades. Is this the year to work on what a month long vacation there might look like?
Take tiny steps towards your desire. Make them wonderfully fun and full of lightness. This isn’t serious, this is fun, this is play. And prepare to be amazed at just how far passion can take you. You’ll not only wake up your winter, you’ll probably start craving more.
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And if going after wildly fun goals that feel like play sounds like your kind of thing, then lady, you're my kind of gal. We should work together!
I’m the life coach for women ready to make life a grand adventure! No more boring goals. No more yearly list of “shoulds” that drain your energy and passion.
So if you’d like to fast track your way to uber success and results all while digging into your passion and joie de vivre consider this your invitation to join the party:
Nervous? Got questions? Contact me at: info@desireesommer.com or use messenger here on Facebook or Instagram!
And with that, I’m off! I will see you all next week in the meantime here are some other articles you might enjoy:
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