32. Seasonal Affective Disorder and Beating Those Winter Blues

I’m very excited to bring this episode to you today since it’s about one of my favorite topics – Seasonal Affective Disorder, the winter blues, and how to beat them. Winter was not always my favorite season, and if that’s true for you as well, today I’m going to share with you how I flipped it so it is now number one on my list. With everything that is still going on these days, this winter is bound to be a really hard one for many people, so let’s look at some of the strategies I employ that can help turn that around.   We’ll begin by reviewing the fact that your attitude toward the season will show up in your kids, and then I offer some of my food and sleep suggestions that have really helped me in the past and continue to do so. Keeping expectations low or level for the holidays, and using lighting to help generate a positive mood are a couple other suggestions that we’ll explore, as well as the greatest strategy of all which is to embrace the outdoors and stay out with your kids as much as humanly possible. I have some tried and true clothing and activity recommendations that will help you achieve this, and I truly hope that you will be able to find the good things that winter has to offer and celebrate them with your kids. Naturally, if you are experiencing a massive depression due to the season, be sure to speak with your doctor, but if you are simply looking for a ‘mood boost’, today’s episode has a lot of great ideas for you. Don’t suffer – experience all the joy that this winter can bring!    The Finer Details of This Episode:    If you don’t like winter, you will see the same in your kids  Going into the winter, I’m careful about food and sleep  If you live in a place that experiences pretty harsh winters, you are going to be low in Vitamin D  I keep up on Vitamin C, D and Zinc, bone broth, root vegetables  Lowering the expectations around holidays can help  I use a lot of twinkle lighting around the house  Stay outside as much as possible  Buy the right outdoor gear for you so you can stay outside with your kids  Outlets are amazing for outdoor gear  Smartwool is the best but it is expensive  For kids: buy overalls for snow pants, Hannah Anderson stuff is great, mittens are warmer than gloves – buy lots in the same color, don’t buy cotton clothes, buy waterproof items, have extras if you can, OAKI rain gear is fabulous  When the weather switches over to cold, change over your kid’s closet to winter clothes  Get involved in winter sports like snowboarding, ice skating, snowshoeing, cross country skiing  Try to look forward to all the things that are good about winter  Full spectrum light bulbs can help   Quotes:   “I do think kids are affected by their parents’ mood and their parents’ winter blues.”   “I don’t want that massive sugar crash after the holidays.”   “I can feel, like, my body go into storage-mode.”   “Us moms are the fuckin’ worst about winter self-care and clothing.”   “If you are happy in the cold, your kid will be happy in the cold.”   “I have fat ski pants and I have skinny ski pants.”   “Eliminate all your kid’s bitching.”   “Snowboarding changed my life…it’s like dancing on a surfboard.”   “If I break my leg ice skating, I’d be so pissed.”   “Try to like winter.”   Links:   Jamie’s homepage -   http://www.jamieglowacki.com/    Oh Crap! Potty Training –   https://www.amazon.com/Crap-Potty-Training-Everything-Parenting-ebook/dp/B00V3L8YSU   Oh Crap! I Have A Toddler -  https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Oh-Crap!-I-Have-a-Toddler/Jamie-Glowacki/Oh-Crap-Parenting/9781982109738   Jamie’s Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/join/jamieglowacki?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices