My Winter Essentials

I've noticed lately that when I come home from work, I put on the same outfit every day, snuggle under the same blanket, and slip into the same nightly routine. Something about familiarity makes the cold, dreary winter easier to bear, I think. Here are the essentials that have been getting me through 'til spring:

J. Crew Factory Shearling Slippers (no longer available)

They're super cozy, and the pop of red makes me happy.

Everlane Boyfriend Sweatshirt

I seriously wear this sweatshirt pretty much every night. The material is pretty heavy so it's nice and warm, and it looks pretty polished for a basic sweatshirt so I feel less frumpy in my nightly leggings/sweatshirt uniform.

Asos Wool Scarf (no longer available)

This scarf is big and as cozy as they come.

Lou & Grey Essential Leggings

I've mentioned these before, and I stand by 'em: these are my favorite leggings, and I live in them at home.

JR Watkins Shea Butter Lemon Hand Cream

(Oops, I think the link goes to the body cream, but I'm pretty sure it's the exact same thing in a bigger tube.) Winter does a number on my skin, especially my hands since I'm constantly typing and always forget to wear gloves. I keep this cream at my desk at work, and it keeps my digits silky smooth. Plus, it kind of smells like fruity pebbles. And it's Paraben and dye free!

Kleenex Cool Touch Tissues - Available literally anywhere.

I'm disgusting, and my nose is constantly drippy when it's cold out. I always have tissues on hand, and these are the bomb because they have menthol or something in them that's just a tiny bit cooling and keeps your nosy from getting all raw when you have the sniffles.

Faux Fur Throw

Not the exact one I have, but very similar. I can't imagine anything being cozier to snuggle up with on the couch while watching @Midnight (our new nightly ritual...except we're old and lame, so we TiVo it and watch it the next evening at an earlier time), except for perhaps a certain white fluffy dog I know.

Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm
I subscribe to one of those monthly beauty sample boxes, and this came in my shipment last month. I like it because it keeps my lips soft and smooth without creating a gunky buildup, which most lip balms seem to do and it really bums me out. Softlips cherry will always be my #1, but if you're feeling a little fancier and are looking for a summery, tropical scent, this balm is pretty solid. 

How to Kick Seasonal Depression

I wrote this post on Seasonal Affective Disorder a year ago today. Last year was a brutal winter - tons and tons of snow combined with shockingly cold temperatures made it a hard year around here for just about everyone. I get to feeling down right around the middle of January every year, and typically stay that way until around the beginning of March, but last year it was worse than normal for me and it led me to brainstorm some ways to head it off at the pass this year. When I look at the way I felt this time last year compared to how I've been feeling this year, it's like night and day. There are some things that contributed to that that I don't really have control over - the weather's been much more mild this year, for example, but I thought I'd share some tips that I feel have contributed to my sunnier outlook this year.

1. I feel like this is the most important thing out of all of these to do - stay active - During winter, I tend to go into hibernation mode and curl up under a blanket, leaving only to go to work and to take bathroom trips. It seems cozy at the beginning of winter, but quickly leads to feeling sluggish and bummed out. I think it's important to try to do some kind of actual activity each day - be it a project around the house or a trip to the grocery store, just moving around will make you feel better.
2. On a related note, be productive - This past Saturday I was sitting in my kitchen, doing what I love to do (sipping coffee, playing on the internet), no worries or cares, when I felt that bummed out feeling start to creep in out of nowhere. I immediately hopped out of my chair and begin cleaning my kitchen, which led to me deep cleaning my appliances and scrubbing my floors. The distraction took over the bummed feeling, and when I was finished my kitchen was sparkling clean, which also improved my mood! Two birds with one stone! I think that a big part of my depression problem stems from boredom, so just getting up immediately and doing something fended off the gloom. And the feeling of accomplishment is hard to beat.
3. Think about exercising - That's all I've done, and it's helped me! (Har, har)
4. Get outside - I know it's freezing out there and it feels torturous at first, but pick a sunny day and do something that involves being outside for a little while - take a walk, go to a winter festival, shovel your driveway if you have snow, build a snowman. The fresh air will breathe some life into you and the exposure to the sun is vital if you get seasonal depression.
5. Socialize - It's so easy to get wrapped up in your own little solitary cocoon when the weather is awful and you just want to lounge in sweats and watch Netflix, but social interaction can be really refreshing. It'll also get you out of your head a bit, which is always good.
6. Plan ahead - Plan a couple of fun activities to look forward to throughout the winter. Whether it's a trip to somewhere warm or just a night out with friends, having something to be excited for definitely staves off gloomy feelings.
7. Bring some life into your home - I'm not talking about making babies, though if you wanna go in that direction it's definitely a mood lifter (heh). I'm talking about foliage - get some green, living things (plants, flowers, trees) and scatter them throughout your house. It brightens everything up and improves the oxygen in your home. Try not to get too bummed when you inevitably kill them. And by "you", I most definitely don't mean "me".
8. Bring spring inside - I like to do this by punching up my decor a bit with some bright throw pillows or knick knacks and lighting some fresh-smelling candles. This is one of my favorite fresh, floral scents.
9. Buy a car - just kidding. But if you have several thousand dollars to just throw around or, ya know, if your car unexpectedly dies on you one day, it definitely doesn't hurt!
10. Spice it up - I've been trying out a bunch of new recipes recently, and the variety has helped keep things interesting. Again with the boredom - keeping my mind active has helped distract me from feeling bummed.
11. Set yourself up for success - Around midway last year, I opened a savings account specifically for Christmas gifts. A big part of my funk in January has to do with feeling guilty for spending too much on Christmas and having to pay off my credit cards for the next several months. By tucking away a small amount each month (I actually put a bigger chunk into my main savings account, and have a smaller part of that chunk automatically transferred from my main savings into the Christmas account each month) I'm able to save up a pretty generous amount by Christmas, and I don't even notice it's gone. Plus, if I end up not needing as much as I have saved I can either just transfer the rest back into my main savings or carry it over for the next holiday season. Having money set aside took a huge amount of stress off of me this January.

I hope everyone's having a decent winter, or if you're feeling down in the dumps I hope some of these tips are able to help, at least a little. Depression sucks, seasonal or not, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. If all else fails, know that you're definitely not alone and there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. Et cetera et cetera, corny corny.

Stopped Cold

It's COLD out, yo! That polar vortex nonsense appears to be rearing its ugly head again (that picture is actually from last winter, though...this year so far we're getting the cold, but have only had a teensy bit of snow. Phooey.) Even though I grew up in snow central USA, I am totally unable to deal with being cold. I completely shut down when it's cold...and I'm pretty much always cold, even when it's warm out. So you can imagine what a wuss I am when the wind chill drops into the single digits. I have a pretty extensive list of totally not ridiculous things I do to keep warm, including but not limited to: taking multiple scorching hot showers in one day, turning my oven to extremely hot temperatures and cracking the door and sitting in the kitchen (this is an actual thing I do, and I hope Jeff doesn't read this because he'll lose his mind...so will my mom, probably), standing over our heat vents like a damn cat, wearing a winter scarf in the house, eating hot soup when I'm not hungry just to warm up my belly, cooking something that involves a tedious amount of time standing over the stove, and turning the shower on as hot as it will go and letting it run while I'm in the bathroom so that it creates a sauna-like effect. Believe me, I'm a pro at finding ways to keep warm (most of which only moderately work). But I do also do more normal things, such as drinking red wine or having a cup of hot tea or cocoa. In the spirit of keeping toasty, I thought I'd share a tasty warm drink recipe Jeff and I have become addicted to ever since ordering it after dinner one night:

Flannel Pajama Coffee

Mix your favorite coffee (I actually prefer this with hot cocoa - who'da thunk it?) with a generous shot of butterscotch schnapps and a shot of Godiva chocolate liquor (we've been using dark chocolate, but I think the white chocolate would be even yummier). Top with a pile of whipped cream. Drink up and feel instantly warmer, or at least happier.