Emotional January?

I know this doesn't have much to do with sleep....or night gowns. But does anyone else feel like the month of January drags on and on and on? I've felt like this might be a good topic to discuss and I surely can't be the only one who has felt a little post-holiday anxiety and stress.

One of my favorite podcasts, "Minivan Mamas" released an episode along these same lines about a week ago. It resonated with me and really got me thinking. If you don't follow them, or listen to their podcast, you really should start. They are so relatable and I just might even know both of them in real life! They're the sweetest gals.

January always starts off on such a high note, at least in my life it does. New year...new goals. So many things to look forward to. But then as the month drags on, I swear the weather gets worse, it's cold, and here in Utah, this year, we had 3 weeks of straight rain. No sun, just dark clouds, horrible wind, and rain.

This summer loving, sunshine craving, Utah girl didn't see the sun for almost 3 weeks. Talk about depressing! My kids have been stuck inside, tearing the house apart, we've had sickness after sickness for almost 2 months straight. I finally broke.

After a solid few days of mental breakdown, I finally calmed myself and started thinking about what I needed to do to make things better. In the moment, it's hard for me to think realistically. But now that I've seen the sun for a few consecutive days, my mind can be rational.

If you find yourself in a similar place as me, here's a few things to try. Now really, I'm preaching to the choir here, because I need to start doing these myself. But maybe together, we can pick one or two of them and start incorporating them into the day to day routine. I found this list and thought it was great!

15 Anxiety and Stress Relieving Activities:

1. Meditate

2. Do some mindful breathing

3. Take some alone time

4. Move your head, under your heart

5. Get some sun

6. Exercise

7. Go for a walk

8. Write down your feelings

9. Listen to music

10. Aromatherapy

11. Cuddle with a pet

12. Talk to a friend

13. Eat some chocolate

14. Chew on something to interrupt spiraling thoughts

15. Eat a mango

So give a couple of these a try and I'd love to know how they help you!