Blogmas Day 13 || Tips To Fight Off The Winter Blues


One thing I've been struggling with lately is staying focused and motivated. Getting home from work in the dark and having the energy to get stuff done and work on my blog is very difficult. A few weeks ago I got home with all the intentions of writing up some Blogmas posts, I sat down with my laptop and before I knew it I was fast asleep and nothing got done. So I've been trying out a few things to get my energy back and I'm feeling much more motivated now, here's how.

Vitamin Supplements

The doctor recently told us that due to us living in Spain for so long and being exposed to much more sun than here in the UK, we could be lacking vitamin D and that's why we're feeling so tired all the time. So I started taking Vitamin D supplements along side Zinc supplements. Usually you can get enough zinc in your diet from your food, but due to my lack of eating much lately I decided to take them too for a bit. They have really helped, I feel much more awake and with more energy to do things throughout the day.

Drinking water

Yeah, I know... everybody says this, but it does really help. When I wake up I have a big glass of water before I have my coffee, it's refreshing and makes me feel like I've just given my body a little cleanse to start the day. It also really helps if you wake up with a blocked nose. Drinking more water throughout the day is definitely something that will help you feel that little bit more awake, especially because you will have to keep getting up to go to the toilet.

Forest

One of my biggest distractions is my phone. Whether it's social media or just chatting to people, I constantly get distracted by it. So when I discovered the Forest app I quickly downloaded it. It gives you a plot of land to grow trees on, but to grow the tress you're not allowed to touch your phone in the time you have set. So you set a time, plant the seed and then leave your phone and focus on other stuff. If you touch your phone, the tree will die. No tree has died on my watch, yet.

Lists

I love writing lists and planning everything out in notebooks. My head is just as messy as my room, so for me to be productive I have to write it down and see it all organized otherwise I end up trying to do ten things at once and don't actually finish any of it. I've also started writing "Done" lists, not only does it help me remember what I've done already, it also motivates me to do more.

Green Tea

I ditched coffee. Well, I didn't really... I have a coffee when I wake up and I occasionally treat myself to a Costa coffee, but I've stopped having as many throughout the day. Instead I've been drinking green tea. I find that coffee makes me feel agitated, anxious and with very little patience so I try to stay away from it. Green tea wakes you up without all the nasty side effects like murder.

Change of thoughts

Now I am aware this one is difficult, but I'm talking from my experience. After being in a rather negative place lately, I am trying my best to change my way of thinking about things. For example, waking up in the morning my first thought was "I am so tired, I don't want to get up... I want to stay in bed all day" and now I've started to correct myself by thinking "Today is going to be a good day, I'm going to get this done and I'm going to etc etc..." positive thoughts. I've changed the background on my phone to a motivational quote too, so that every time I look at my phone I am reminded.

Plan and prioritize

At the weekend I have started planning what I need to do the day before. So I'll write a list and divide it into "Must, should and want" - that way I can prioritize stuff and work faster instead of getting distracted. I also set myself deadlines, so I'll have a certain amount of things I want to get done before lunch and knowing that will make me get to it instead of binge watching Netflix.

Come back to it

If I sit and blog for hours because I am on a role, that's great. If I sit down to blog and get stuck on a post, sitting there for hours trying to write doesn't help at all. I spend half an hour trying to write it, if it's not happening then I move on to my next post and go back to it later. This helps so much, and it helps with a lot of stuff. If you're stuck on something for more than half an hour, take a break and come back to it.

Music

Listen to music that makes you feel good and energized, music that makes you feel like you want to rule the world. Here's a few songs I've been listening to on repeat lately;

1. Dua Lipa - New Rules
2. Tokio Myers - Angel
3. Julia Michaels - Issues
4. Little Mix ft Stormzy - Power
5. Lady Gaga - John Wayne
6. Lady Gaga - Come to Mama
7. Jason Derulo ft Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign - Swalla
8. Beyoncé - Hold Up
9. Beyoncé ft Jack White - Don't Hurt Yourself
10. Beyoncé - Formation


Rest

As great as it is to be productive and get shit done, we all need our rest. If you're not taking time for yourself and getting a good nights sleep, how can you expect to feel energized the next day? There's an app called "Sleep Better" it tracks your sleep and wakes you up gently in the morning, it's really good and you should definitely check it out if you struggle getting up in the morning.

So there's a few things I have been trying lately that have worked out for me. I also have a board on my Pinterest with loads of helpful tips that I've found, so you can check that out too if you want. Let me know if you have any tips in the comments, as I am sure they will come in handy.








Comments

  1. Such a lovely and encouraging blog post, I really like your ideas, I’ll definitely keep them in mind! That forest app sounds really interesting, as does the one that wakes you up. I’ve stopped drinking things with caffeine in them, and switched to herbal etc. tea, it’s helped my mood. I really want to try that green tea you have shown, I know Tetley do some good options. Wishing you a peaceful and happy December! :-) xx

    Helen | Helen’s Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

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    1. Thank you! I'm so happy you liked the post :) - I love that green tea, it gives you a great boost to get you through the day with out making you feel the way caffeine some times can. Happy December xx

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  2. Drinking more water is so important I try to drink as much as I can everyday

    Candice | Beauty Candy Loves

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    1. It really does make a big difference, but it's so difficult to do! xx

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  3. Staying hydrated is so important, saying this I'm so terrible at it! Mind you, I am trying to make a conscious effort to make sure I can drink as much as I can! x

    Han | lifewithhan.blog

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    1. I feel your pain, it's so hard to make sure you're drinking the right amount of water xx

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