The weather in Columbus has been pretty gloomy lately, but we actually had a really nice, sunny day yesterday. I spent most of the day outside because I knew there wouldn’t be many more of these days until spring. Which meant my Columbus winter blues would soon be coming. I’m kind of harsh on Columbus. I have a love/hate relationship with the city.  But, I feel like since I grew up in Chicago (ok well the suburbs, but whatever), winter was a much more exciting time of year. I mean yeah, it was cold as shit, but there were things to look forward (Marshall Field’s Christmas windows, Christkindlmarket and ice skating at Millennium, etc). Columbus winters just don’t feel the same. Idk maybe Chicago just has a glorified spot in my heart. It’s kind of like the ex you can’t get over and only remember the good stuff and when you go back, you’re like wait I don’t really miss this.

Last Winter…

Anyways like I was saying, Columbus winters are just not something I look forward to at all and the winter blues are very real for me. Last winter, I was literally stuck inside my apartment, recovering from my accident. That was an extremely hard and depressing time for me. I couldn’t drive, my dog was with my parents in Houston and everyone else had work during the day so it was a lonely time in my life. But it forced me to find ways to cheer myself up. Since I had a lot of time off of work, I made sure that I wasn’t just sleeping in everyday, sitting around and getting lazy – which is so easy to do, especially in the winter. I put myself on a schedule and had a good morning routine, like making smoothies, taking vitamins, going to our apartment gym and getting some movement in. I also got really into self-care, which for me was a lot of face masks, baths and meditation.  Oh, and I listened to so many podcasts (My favorites are How I Built This, anything Tim Ferris and The Skinny Confidential) and the Big Little Lies soundtrack on repeat. 

One other thing I did was try to take trips when I could.  Getting out of Columbus and having a change of scenery was easily the one thing that kept me somewhat sane. My apartment was directly above the location of my accident, so having my living room window overlook that crosswalk was one of the hardest things to deal with – still not sure why or how I did it for as long as I did. The only thing that helped was getting out of Columbus and seeing friends and family in different states. You may be wondering why I even stayed in Columbus, but I have my reasons. I had a lot of follow up appointments, I wanted to stay with the same doctors, I couldn’t really live independently and moving in with my parents (love you guys but…) to Houston, a city I don’t know well, didn’t sound too much better. (Side note: before the accident, I finally felt really happy. I had just started working for a company I was obsessed with, I moved into an amazing apartment with my best friend and met a guy who meant the world to me – but life was like haha nope, b*tch, it is too good to be true) Sooo anyways I stuck out it out in Columbus and some how managed to beat my winter blues. I wanted to share a few tips with you guys that helped me through my hardest months. 

Tips for Beating the Winter Blues

1. Movement

It’s not like I was doing intense workouts, I was just doing anything to get myself moving.  It’s nothing new, we’ve heard it a million times that physical exercise is a mood booster. Even if it was the stationary bike for 10 minutes, going to physical therapy or doing band exercises in my room. I did as much as I was able to. I was so determined to gain back my strength, so it wasn’t hard for me to find the motivation to exercise. I had taken working out for granted and missed it so much. Even now with my second surgery I am itching to get back to working out.

If you are ever feeling unmotivated to go to the gym, sign up for a fitness class instead. That way you literally just have to show up. You don’t need to think about what you’re going to do, just show up and follow along. If you can’t go to a class for whatever reason – time or money, search on YouTube, there are so many free videos you can do. In college I would do a few of the Tone It Up videos in a row. 

2.  Vitamin D & Eating Well

Living in Ohio, we don’t get much sun in the winter, so it was the main vitamin I was recommended by one of my doctors. Since I had lost a lot of weight from being in the hospital and sitting a wheelchair, I knew I wanted to gain back my weight, but needed it to be in a healthy way.  My focus was on eating lots of protein and healthy fats. I was way more conscious about what I was putting into my body than I had ever been before in my life.

I was determined and motivated to heal and recover the best possible way and I knew that mean eating well and getting good quality food. I really do believe eating clean and healthy has a huge impact on how you feel physically and mentally. 

3. Fill Your Space With Good Vibes

Cold, winter months can keep you inside, so fill your space with good vibes and create your own zen den. For me, that meant making a place that felt relaxing and brought me comfort – cup of tea, lighting a candle, playing music and having plants or flowers, made a serious different in my mood. Winter is also a great time to get a humidifier/oil diffuser to help with the dry air. I’ve read good things about this one from Amazon.  It looks like it comes in two different sizes which is nice too. 

In the past year I got a little bit more woo woo, so that meant adding a few healing crystals + stones around. Some people aren’t into that stuff, but for me it seeing the stones remind me of the stones purposes and intentions I’ve set for myself. It’s a reminder to relax, be grateful and enjoy life. Maybe for you it’s having photos, quotes, cards from loved ones hanging around,  but whatever it is, create a space that makes you feel good. 

4. Self-Care

I’m obnoxiously obsessed with self-care. It is so important to take time for ourselves to refresh. Self-care can be different for everyone, depending on what makes you happy and helps you recharge. Self-care is pretty much all I did for the last year while I was recovering and it’s a habit that has stuck with me. My ideal Self-Care Sunday would be either taking a hot yoga class, or going to the warm water pool (at my physical therapy gym) and then having a sauna sesh. Catching up on a book or listening to a podcast (with Penelope, my dog, nearby) and doing some sort of face mask and skincare routine. I definitely put a big focus on skincare. 

Last year, during my recovery, I would get pretty bored trying to find new things to do, so I would read and try about like every skin care product. It was one of the few things I could do sitting down or in bed and was also relaxing for me. I had always loved sheet masks (I was convinced I needed one anytime I was hungover), but then I became just skincare obsessed.  Whether it was jade rollers, dermaplaning or just different creams or new products, I wanted to try it all. I never really had bad skin, but I’ve always been pretty good about sunscreen and being preventative with my skin, so I love learning about what’s out there.

Also, if you have been wanting to get more into skincare but not really sure what is the best products for your skin, I recently learned about a website called HelloAva. You take a skin quiz to find out your skin type and then they recommend a couple different brands and products for you based on your skin needs and budget. From there you can pick and choose which ones you want to get. It’s a super easy, at-home way to figure what products would be best for you specifically. Being a skincare freak, I was obviously intrigued, so I actually reached out to their team to learn more and give it a try myself.  I just got my package (I did an unboxing on my Instagram) and it even came with a personalized card that tells me which order to use the products. If you want to find out your skin type and what products are best, you can get 30% off with my code NEELOO30 on HelloAva.

5. Giving Back & Helping Others

It’s a great time to give back to your community by either volunteering or donating for a cause that you feel passionate about. Having a positive impact and helping others can change your own outlook and attitude towards life. Every time I have ever donated or volunteered, it has given me a sense of happiness. I feel good about myself knowing that I am able to help others and connecting with my community. And of course, giving back and helping others always makes me me feel so thankful and gives me perspective on my own life and situation. If there is one thing I have learned in the last year is that we should always appreciate what we have in life and live with a sense of gratitude. 

I hope that these tips can help you as much as they have helped me survive some of the harder, winter months. What are some ways that you boost your mood when the winter blues hit? Let me know in the comments!