Holiday Helps (Patreon)

In the midst of things getting wild over the holiday season, it's really easy for us to forget about ourselves. I personally am about the same amount of busy year-round, but my life is much different than most and I remember when the holidays were madness for me. 

This year, I did end up busier than expected because I had A LOT of unexpected work pop up, which is dope!, but I did find myself needing to make some healthier changes to help with anxiety as well as SAD (seasonal affective disorder). I struggle HARD during the fall and winter now because of the loss of daylight so early. My energy goes with the sun basically. 

Even though I talked about this all in depth in a live chat, not everyone has the time for watching a 30 min chat, so here's what I talked about in writing.

1. Consistent morning schedule! Even if I'm working, I wake up early enough to chug my glass of water, do some tai chi and back stretches to loosen up and get the blood flowing, make myself tea/elixir/coffee, and then journal for at least 5 minutes. It's a wonderful way to start the day and I find that time spend with myself sets a good tone. 

2. Cutting caffeine. I know, I know. Blasphemous. But all in all, caffeine really makes me feel anxiety more when it's flaring up, so I've been mostly doing decaf or using Four Sigma, which has half the amount of caffeine as normal coffee! 

3. Technology. JD got me these futuristic glasses that are supposed to help with SAD and I actually have noticed each day I use them that I have energy until 7/8 instead of 4/5!

https://www.amazon.com/Luminette-Bright-Therapy-Glasses-Effective/dp/B01553VBD6

4. Less phone time. Sadly, I too, am addicted to my phone and I found myself scrolling mindlessly in procrastination of doing things I needed to do. I've been forcing myself to stay off it more and whaddya know... I've been getting more things done. 

5. Conscious living. Probably the easiest thing is eating better. I know what I eat greatly affects how I feel, so I've been focusing on putting nutrient dense foods into my diet as well as all the superfoods I can get my hands on.  I've also been paying attention to things more and rather than the simple recycling acts, I try to reduce all my waste and purchase things that have less effect on the environment (things packaged in paper instead of plastic and such). TEDx talks are huge as well as podcasts. Basically I try to be a sponge for helpful info and it helps me be a better person subconsciously. :)

6. Earlier sleep. Which I will be doing as soon as I finish typing this!!! My body loves bedtime to be before 10:30, so I've been trying hard to make that happen. The earlier I sleep, the earlier I wake up, and the more daylight I get. But this also applies in the opposite. If you are like JD and feel better sleeping in, do that! 

7. Using a planner. This may seem small, but OH MY GAAAHHH does it ever help. I tried to go without a planner for a bit and just...no. Physcially writing out my plans and seeing things on a timeline really helps me soooo so much. I've noticed a lot less wasted time throughout the day. This isn't everyone's jam, but it sure does help me.