A list of the things that make me happier
Every morning this month I’ve gotten out of bed with serious cold-weather-induced melancholia, aka seasonal depression. Either I feel super fatigued and emotional, or my heart is pounding from the moment I open my eyes and I’m suddenly catastrophizing the day that hasn’t even happened yet. In order to combat this phenomenon, I have been trying to surround myself in an environment that leaves no room for sadness and/or anxiety because there is not always enough time in the day to meditate. To all of my winter-blues-inclined baddies, I’m going to share how I’ve been filling up my day with romanticized moments, if you will, and successfully feeling like a #materialgirl without having to buy that many things.
1. Maya Chia Wonder Balm
I am notorious for having dry skin. When I was a kid, I had such rough hands my mom used to slather them in Aquaphor and put gloves on them so they could marinade overnight. I’ve been doing the same thing with my face recently, but with this all-natural goop from Maya Chia. It’s a waterless balm made from chia seeds that helps critically damaged or irritated skin, and boy does it work. I was never familiar with the term “slugging” before I encountered TikTok, but here I am, following suit with the newest skincare fad. It has significantly improved my flakey skin and my pores have never looked smaller, and it’s also good for lips and dry spots on hands. I’ve become so addicted to it that I carry it around with me everywhere I go.
2. Pretty pastel pens
While everyone viciously taps away at their keyboards in lecture halls, I am that old-school nerd that still uses pen and paper to take notes. It’s a lot more to carry, but I am so much more engaged when I am writing by hand. This semester has made note-taking even more enjoyable because I got a brand new set of pens. They are a beautiful collection of pastel colors and have made their home in a mason jar on my desk. My pack is from Amazon, but if you’re feeling super extra some of the boutiques and knick-knack stores on State Street have loads of fun colored and patterned writing utensils as well.
3. A Pink Top and Bottom for my Hydro flask
Another little pop of color I’ve added to my day is a bundled set of accessories for my water bottle. Hydro Flask makes rubber bottoms and handled lids for their bottles and distributes them as a package in the same color. I found mine at REI for ten bucks and just had to have them to make my black Hydro Flask a material girl herself.
4. Bedroom string lights
One reason we start to feel bummy in the winter months is with the shorter days, our body’s natural circadian rhythm is thrown off. As it gets darker quicker, and stays darker longer, our bodies tend to feel more fatigued and ready for bed sooner. An easy way to trick your brain into thinking it’s light out is to add more light to your living space. I found an extra set of warm white Christmas lights at my parents’ and strung them corner-to-corner on a wall in my bedroom. Not only do they go on to wake me up in the morning, but they also are plugged in when I’m having trouble focusing at night. They’ve really made a difference in my room’s environment, in terms of both productivity and style.
5. Vitamin D3 Drops
Another common reason for seasonal depression is the lack of sunlight our bodies get on a daily basis. To supplement this, I’ve added vitamin D3- the form of vitamin D that is particular to the sun- to my medicine cabinet. I get my brand at Whole Foods, and just add a few drops of it to a glass of water daily. It’s helped with my seasonal blues and hair loss, and I’ve never had a better winter before taking it.
Continuing to grind when you’re not feeling the best is hard. Hopefully some of these things not only help you to feel pretty and put-together, but also help to combat the dark and dreary winter spirits. Here’s to a happy and healthy couple months till spring!