5 Tips to Help You Get Over the Summer Blues
Winter blues shouldn’t be anything more than a color palette for our wardrobe – there’s no need!
We all know how it goes, once the leaves begin to drop so do our energy levels. Sunny late afternoons with a glass of wine (or two) turn into gloomy early bird dinners and 8pm bedtimes (for us adults and the kids). But there are ways to fight back this drudgery! Why should winter blues be anything more than a color palette for our wardrobe? There’s no need! So this year we are fighting back or at least making some calculated changes to improve our lifestyles and our mood.
You need to make a plan to make the upcoming school year, work calendar and weather stop feeling so stressful and start feeling…well..manageable. So how do you do that?
De-clutter your life!
It may not be spring time but there’s no better time to clean house. From cleaning out your closets and making way for your winter wardrobe to finally moving that bureau and vacuuming behind it. Whatever needs doing, do it. Set aside a full Saturday or (cough, cough) sick day… and get everything done. A huge weight will be lifted and suddenly, surely, you’re house will feel cozy enough to relax in again.
Get your supplies ready.
It may not be as sexy as cleaning out your closet (cue laughter) but it’s certainly important. Make a list of all the things your family needs for the coming year. If it’s notebooks, binders, computers, whatever, make the list and then promptly check everything off it. The key here is while you need to get all of these other items, there’s nothing wrong with buying, say, a pumpkin spice candle for yourself-if it calms you and brings a bit happiness to your season, just do it.
Organize your fridge.
Actually, while you’re at it, organize your whole kitchen. It probably needs a bit of a revamp after all those cook outs anyway doesn’t it? It’s time to cook up the last of the hot dogs and start planning some heartier (and healthier) meals to keep you warm when the weather doesn’t anymore. Soup, anyone?
Work needs some love too.
Maybe you’ve been so preoccupied with catching the last of the rays or preparing your home and your family for the next beautiful albeit slightly depressing season, that your work has suffered. It’s okay. You are certainly not alone. Set aside a Monday morning (or a whole day if your boss will have it) to get back on track. Check all the emails you may have accidentally on purpose skipped over, have that meeting you’ve been talking about and finally finish that ‘long-term’ checklist that has been haunting you for months. The time has come.
Don’t forget about you.
It’s easy to get sidetracked with your home, your family and your job but make sure to schedule some time for yourself to let those shoulders finally relax for a moment. Just because you’ve put the sandals away doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a little foot rub at the nail salon. Leave the kids at home for an hour, call a friend and get a pedicure. Better yet, go by yourself and just close your eyes.
If you take the time to get yourself and your life organized you may even find yourself looking forward to those cozy mornings by the fire with a cup of coffee. We feel relaxed just thinking about it, don’t you?
