Monday, January 29, 2024

Winter Self-Care

Have you practiced extra self-care this month? Because January is tough for a lot of us. Between the cold weather, shoveling and driving in the snow, and the early evenings, it’s easy to get the winter blues. Here are some self-care ideas that I find helpful. The month is about over (THANKFULLY), but you can practice self-care for the rest of the winter!


1) Meditate or pray for at least 15 minutes per day.

Get in touch with your spiritual self and be mindful. This helps you to focus and feel a sense of connection, as well as being therapeutic in opening up to God about your thoughts and feelings. Get up feeling refreshed and ready to start your day out right.


2) Get outdoors as much as you can.

Even a brief five minutes can help raise your energy levels from the fresh air and calming beauty of nature. Extra bonus if it's sunny out!


3) Make sure your environment is decluttered and clean.

There's nothing worse than being in a cluttered space, especially when you're trapped inside if the weather is bad. Organizing and cleaning your space will give you a nice feeling of accomplishment, boosting your mood and energy levels.


4) Find a new hobby or project to work on.

Keep your mind occupied and get your creative juices flowing! Doing something creative is a great way to increase focus, boost your confidence and energy levels, and come up with new ideas and inspiration. And it's just plain fun.


5) Get enough sleep, go to bed, and get up at the same time every day.

During the dark winter months, it’s more important than ever to get enough sleep and stay on schedule. There’s nothing worse than going to bed at ten o’clock one night and midnight the next, then waking up late and groggy. Your body will thank you for the extra rest.


6) Socialize

Although it can be tempting to cozy up in the afternoons and stay in the house, it’s important for people to get out and socialize. It will give you a boost of energy and a sense of connection with another person. Don't isolate yourself!


7) Spend extra time moisturizing your skin, hair, and nails.

During the winter months, our skin, hair, and nails tend to dry out and get brittle sometimes. Make sure that you put in the extra time to moisturize and pamper yourself. It's very soothing as well and good for self-confidence levels.


8) Take vitamin C and D supplements.

It’s important during the dark winter months spent inside to take or eat sources of Vitamin C and D, which helps ward off sickness and replenish the Vitamin D you’re getting less of during this time of year.


Self-Care Blog Recommendation

A good friend of mine also has some good advice on self-care and how it has helped her mental health immensely. She is a mental health blogger and influencer from Syracuse (a snowy city!), New York. Check out her blog here!


Enjoy your week and stay warm!



Follow me on social media...

YouTube (please subscribe)

Facebook


Instagram


 

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

You Fell In... WHAT??

 

Today was a day. And I don’t mean a good day. After a 90-minute online chat session with Spectrum (the most hated internet provider EVER), finding a dead mouse upstairs, and back and forth nonsensical miscommunication between doctor’s offices, I slipped in slushy snow outside and landed in dog poop. Yeah, you read that right. Dog POOP.


I took my dog, Cole, out the front door to do his usual business. He can’t go out the back door anymore because he's too old and the steps are steep. (He also refuses to use the wooden ramp my husband built for our dogs. Go figure.) 

We walked onto the porch and went down the steps, and I didn’t realize how slippery and slushy it was… so, down I went. I didn't even get a chance to break my fall, and I somehow moved to the exact angle where...SPLAT. And what was I wearing? This was the only time in my entire life that I had nonchalantly slipped on a pair of white sweatpants this morning. (I’m not the type of person who can wear white.) I'm now sitting in dog crap, dying from the smell (and Cole’s just looking at me, like, what is wrong with you?!). 

Of course, my next-door neighbor suddenly showed up out of nowhere and asked if I was okay. Sure, I’m totally fine! Just your average afternoon, enjoying the fresh air! Ha. 

Needless to say, I have a lot of laundry to do. After a long shower and a drink, I realized I dropped one of my gloves by the steps. So, I stepped off the porch and nearly wiped out again on the slush. 

I can’t wait until spring.  


Follow me on social media...

YouTube (please subscribe)

Facebook


Instagram

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Have You Ever Wondered…

Have you ever swallowed food wrong and gotten whatever it was seemingly stuck in your throat? Maybe you were able to swallow it after you drank some water or coughed a bit. Or maybe you started choking or felt like you were choking for a minute before you recovered. 

The other day, I was driving in my car, eating a snack that went down the wrong way, and I started coughing uncontrollably. Of course, I had no water in the car with me, not to mention I was DRIVING. I just kept coughing while trying to either swallow the food down or cough it up, not knowing which way it was going to go, all while trying to keep my eyes on the road! 

I ended up composing myself and was fine. Of course, I coughed for about 20 minutes after, and again, NO WATER. Which got me thinking: What if you are alone and start choking for REAL?! No one there to help you or do the Heimlich on you. I mean, I know you can probably do it on yourself, but are you really going to be able to think clearly in that moment to do it successfully? I'm just saying. Kinda scary. 



Maybe I need a first aid refresher class to learn how to save yourself when no one is around and you’re choking. Do they even offer those?! 


Follow me on social media...

YouTube (please subscribe)

Facebook


Instagram