Thinking about the New Year often brings mixed emotions. There are the excitement and build-up of Christmas, New Year parties and cheer (less so in 2020!) and then bam, January. Back to the start of the year. Long, dark evenings. Cold, wet weather. Continued Covid. And pretty much nothing to look forward to. It feels like more doom and gloom.
It doesn’t have to be though, and this year, I’m sharing a few of my go-to tips and tricks for tackling the winter blues. Make sure you share some tips with me in the comments and over on social media too.
WALK
I can’t stress this enough. Get outside and walk. We always try and go for a walk most weekends, even if the weather is a bit drizzly. There are many wonderful parks close by to our home so we are lucky in that sense.
GRATITUDE
Have you seen all the gratitude lists on Instagram recently? Lots of people have documented the things they are grateful for at the end of each day. I’ve been trying to do this too. Sometimes it’s hard to stick to after working and then sorting the girls. But if you can, write down the things that made you happy and smile. It certainly helps to put the day in perspective if it was a bit meh.
DITCH THE RESOLUTIONS
I try to do New Year’s resolutions each year but then end up failing. And I find this then makes me feel rubbish. For the year ahead, I aim to break down bigger goals into bite-size chunks. This feels much more manageable!
SPRING AND SUMMER BUCKET LIST
I don’t know about you but I feel like we’ve missed out on a whole year. Usually, we’d travel quite a lot and see family. Everything seems to be put on hold though because of the pandemic. This is why for 2021, I’m making a bucket list for spring and summer.
We would love to be able to do the trips that were cancelled last year like a trip to Venice with Eurocamp and a trip to Nantes to visit Puy Du Fou. Let’s see how things go. Fingers crossed!
ONE DAY AT A TIME
There’s so much uncertainty still as we enter the New Year. I plan to take each day as it comes and face whatever is coming my way then. It’s easy to get into a “what if” cycle and I’m going to try and focus on the here and now. This links into practising gratitude each day.
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS
Another point that links to gratitude – focusing on the small things each day. That hot cup of coffee while it rains outside, or the snuggly cushions on your sofa. Look for the small joys in every day at the moment. This has certainly helped us over the past few months.
What are your tips and tricks for beating the winter blues? Do you have any to share which have helped you keep positive and motivated this past year?
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
Linking up with:
this year has been the worst ever so you have given some great tips here
Fresh air and getting outside for a walk definitely helps the mind cope doesn’t it.
lovely tips
The winter blues haven’t been too bad its just the winter colds my boy Charlie can’t seem to shake off this year !!
I’m not a lover of winter, can’t wait for spring
Loved your tips.
For me long walks with my dog early every morning. Knitting 100 premature baby hats for the Mothers Union to send to hospitals desperate for them. Knitting lots of beanie hats for the homeless and friends. Also line dancing twice a week on zoom, amazing. Fortunately I am retired so I have lots of time to do a lot of things I like to do. Not forgetting Pilate and gardening. Do love swimming which has been a bit restricted this year.
I love going for a long I always feel better afterwards
Walking really helps me feel on top of the world. makes me appreciate nature and keeps me fit
We’re definitely following the 1 day at a time mantra, it’s been an awful year, trapped at home protecting our vulnerable younger son, it’s taken its toll on everyone culminating in our eldest threatening to take his own life because his employer wanted him to work full time without caring too much how much social contact he would have at work & the repercussions should he bring covid19 home with him…what a world…greed & selfishness sadly has shone brighter than any sense of humanity. We’re hoping for better things in 2021 xx
Great tips
Thank you for sharing some great tips. 🙂
This winter will be more difficult than ever before, for obvious reasons.
Great tips for the winter blues
I love this post, honestly I hate January with a passion and I really struggle to stay positive as I am very hard on myself so ponder and worry a lot! but here is to a positive 2021, it may not have started great for everyone but fingers crossed there are good things to come
Totally agree especially the take one day at a time!
Some good thinking Franca, sometimes you just need someone to spell it out for you!
I do try and get out every day for a walk, I find it clears my mind and refreshes me
We are all going to be a bit down this year so thank you for sharing these tips
I think just to be healthy at this time is a blessing
It feels like winter is going to be long, so self-care tips are much needed
Great tips. I find getting out for a walk is a great help and I like to try a new hobby.
Planning on getting out more even if its just a walk around the block – gratitude for what i have is also a priority
will defo try this
Great ideas! With it being so cold, I really struggle to motivate myself to go for a walk… But I always feel so much better when I do it x
Some good ideas here, thank you
With my disability winter isn’t good for me can’t wait for the weather to get warmer and drier
Some great tips. Thanks.
Some great tips, enjoyed reading them
I try to go for a daily walk unless the weather is really foul. I also have a SAD lamp on my desk at home. I find it is really helpful.
I think working up the motivation to get out of the house is the hardest part, once you’re out you feel so much better.
Some great tips. I am lucky enough to live in the North Yorkshire Moors, so can get out into the countryside when the weather is okay. Zoom has been a boom for meetings and I have tried to keep in contact with as many people as possible.
Love these tips – think we need all the help we can get to cheer ourselves up this winter! I’m not sure I dare to make a Spring/Summer bucket list yet though! Gosh I hope the situation will be improved by then ! #kcacols
Thanks for these great tips
I love the idea of a Spring/Summer bucket list.
Agree with your tips…live in Cumbria so just walking round local villages gives me a lift.
for me it’s really important to get out for a walk each day even if its just a walk around the block and back to literally blow away the cobwebs.
Also trying to have a good sleep routine – getting to bed by a set time and up at a set time even if its grey and dark out
This is even more important with winter lockdown, thank you
I’m thinking about my Garden, and spring and summer. Every day is getting longer and we are heading towards SPRING!
Great tips!
Bucket list for summer/spring sounds like a good idea.
#KCACOLS
A lovely read in worrying times.
It really is the little things that make a difference and we all need to be extra kind to ourselves this year. #KCACOLS
I had a bath this week after I put my daughter to bed – Its something I almost never do unless we are on holidays and it was wonderful! I also like to read a little before going to bed. But given the state of the world, I can only manage chic lit right now hehe. #KCACOLS
Great tips Franca, we are hoping to get to Italy this year too, let’s keep our fingers crossed! #KCACOLS
I definitely agree with ditching the new year’s resolutions! They always do me more harm than good #KCACOLS
I love this post. I implement some of these too – especially a gratitude journal and a daily walk. I love just putting on my headphones and going for a stroll in the woods. Love the idea of a summer bucket list. I’ll make a start on my own to give me something to look forward to x #KCACOLS
I think we all need all the help we can get at the moment don’t we – January has been a LONG month! #KCACOLS