AD | I don’t know about anyone else but I’m absolutely psyched that Autumn is just around the corner! I hate Summer and always feel my best during the colder months. I know that’s not the same for everyone, the transition into any season is important. But today we’ll be talking about looking after your well-being in the colder months.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
As the weather gets colder and the nights get darker, there can definitely be a shift in emotions, mental health and even physical health for some people. The change in the seasons affects everyone so differently and whilst someone like me is praying for snow and minus temperatures, other people are really suffering.
And not to mention the pressure of back to school, Halloween, bonfire night, Christmas AND New Year which are all incredibly close together and can cause a lot of mental, emotional and financial stress for people.
So as magical as the last third of the year can be for so many reasons (check out my Autumn and Christmas Pinterest boards for some magical inspiration!) it’s important to be looking after your well-being in the colder months too:
Identify any mental health issues that arise with the colder months
I’m talking about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), which can be a very common problem. SAD is a depression which follows a seasonal pattern and for most people, symptoms are more prevalent in the Winter. Symptoms of SAD are similar to those of normal depression, such as low mood, lack of interest, lethargic and feelings of worthlessness.
SAD is often linked to lack of sunlight exposure during Autumn and Winter, which can affect the production of melatonin, seratonin and your body’s internal clock. Although some people might experience SAD due to their genes. Which brings me nicely onto the next point…
Get the right vitamins
Vitamins come from a variety of sources, including sunlight. So when the sunlight is limited due to both the weather AND the length of the days becoming shorter and shorter in the Autumn and Winter, it’s important to recognise that you might not be getting the vitamins you need naturally. Which could affect your general well-being.
You can get vitamin D from certain foods, such as oily fish, red meat and eggs. But if you’re vegetarian or vegan or have food intolerance, this isn’t always easy. So vitamin supplements could be a great alternative for you to ensure you’re looking after your well-being in the colder months and getting the nutrients your body needs.
I was kindly gifted these Vitamin D supplements from Epsilon Life to feature in this post, which I think was just perfect given that we’ll be heading into Autumn soon and need to start thinking about these things. I already take a multivitamin every day. But I’m excited to start seeing the benefits of the Vitamin D supplements into my routine.
The Vitamin D3 5000 iu supplements retail at just £12.99. Which is incredible considering in each pot, you get a whole YEARS supply of supplements. They are small (super handy for anyone that struggles with swallowing tablets), 100% natural and GMP certified.
The guys at Epsilon Life know their stuff, with a whole page of information on Vitamin D facts and the benefits of getting enough Vitamin D in your diet. It’s never recommended to substitute vitamin D from the sun for sunbeds. I mean, I feel like that’s a very obvious thing to say? So supplements are always the safer option.
Keep the germs away
We all know that come Autumn and Winter, the colds, flu and various other viruses start spreading like wildfire. And sometimes, no matter how healthy we are, we’re not immune to a common cold! Getting prepared early is a good idea. Stocking up on hand sanitizers to use regularly (especially when out and about). And cold and flu tablets to have on hand for if/when it strikes!
And although none of us are immune to a cold or the flu, we can definitely try and stay as healthy as possible during the Autumn and Winter months. Again, I feel like it’s common sense. But when we’re surrounded by Halloween candy and Christmas pudding, it can be hard to reinforce! Although I’m absolutely NOT opposed to treating yourself either!
Staying fit and active (to the best of your ability) is important for looking after your well-being in the colder months. As much as you’d like to stay cosy in bed! Eating enough fruit and veggies, drinking enough water, not smoking and watching your alcohol intake. Which is another thing that often goes down the drain near Christmas!
Practice self care every day
This point isn’t seasonal. But still worth mentioning anyway. You can never have enough self care. And like I said at the beginning, cold months, Christmas and the stress of the holiday season can definitely take it’s toll. Not everyone enjoys it. And that’s okay too.
I wrote a post last year about looking after your well-being at Christmas, which has lots of handy ways you can make sure your self care comes first during what can sometimes be a stressful time. But if you do anything between now and December 31st, you should absolutely make self care a priority!
How do you like looking after your well-being in the colder months? Do you focus on any of these points or have anything else to add? Let’s chat in the comments!
* This is a sponsored post