I think it’s safe to say we all feel like we could use a little light in the winter, especially in the never-ending month of January. In December, our house is loaded with lights. My goal is to cover practically every surface I can with lit garland. When we take all the garland down, the house feels dark. January feels dark. So, before I let the darkness bring me down, I set some goals: five simple things I wanted to do this month to beat the winter blues.
Setting a very small (but realistic!) reading goal
I love to read but have never set a goal for myself, because the gigantic goals I see people setting feel incredibly intimidating. So, I’m setting a reading goal of reading two books in January. Two! And it’s going to feel great to accomplish that goal!
If you want some recommendations on books, here’s some I read recently and would recommend:
-The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (actually, anything by Richard Osman—I’m just giving you a starting point!)
-The Wedding People by Alison Espach
-Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
-Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Buying a new plant
During the spring and summer, my garden makes me so happy. I want to beat the winter blues by bringing a little of that indoors during the colder months. My January goal is to buy a new-to-me plant like the arrowhead vine, chosen because it meets my goals for any house plant: simple to take care of and can propagate easily. Who knows—maybe a new plant can help fill the gap all my garland left behind!
Including one salad a week in my dinner rotations
I’ve found that as I near 40, all the helpful advice you hear your whole life, like get more sleep, exercise regularly, drink more water, etc., is, unfortunately (or fortunately?), true. To help incorporate more fresh, healthy dinners into our regular rotation, I’ve set a goal to include one salad as a main dish per week. If you need some recommendations, this Christmas salad is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE, but this Harvest Fall salad is also very simple to throw together and good. I usually add some grilled or baked chicken to help give my salads some oomph for dinner.
Going for walks. Outside.
I hate being cold, so this doesn’t sound all that appealing right now, but I know for a fact that being outside in fresh air, exercising, improves my mood. So, I want to commit to more walks outside this winter. I’m going to bundle up, maybe consider investing in a heated coat (that I just recently learned was a thing!), and get outside. In the summer, my oldest two kids walk with me, and it’s a special time of connection and talking. I don’t want that to stop, even when it’s cold, so I’ve already recruited them to join me, too. I think they think it’s a novelty to walk all bundled up, so they are surprisingly on board.
Set up friend breakfasts
To be totally honest, I’m already doing this, and I love it so much that I think it should be included in a list like this! Nothing is better at beating the winter blues than quality time with friends. Once every couple of months, I set up intentional friend time and schedule a breakfast date with a friend (or group of friends). It feels good to have something like this in the calendar, and it’s nice to have something fun to look forward to in a dreary month! While we’re having breakfast, we usually pick a date a couple of months out to meet again, so it’s already scheduled and in our calendars. It means our time together is pretty consistent, easily planned, and fun.
Winter is still going to be winter, but hopefully these simple things will help to keep the seasonal blues at bay. Wishing you a winter filled with as much joy as we can squeeze out of it!
