Feeling Blue? Fight January with a Winter Dopamine Menu

20 Tips to Beat the Blues ❄️

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Cozy London Winter Scene on YouTube

“Winter is much like unrequited love; cold and merciless.’—Kellie Elmore

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Like much of North America, things are a bit arctic. The skies are grey, the air is frigid, and darkness falls early. Several times this morning I muttered to myself “How did I live in Ohio?” (born and raised Buckeye here). After two days of winter weather, my emotions are on the verge of collapse from the chill and gloom.

Last year I wrote a short newsletter with the stellar title of How to Beat the January Blue Monday Blues (Hey, I was and am still learning) and included a factoid that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year (do I know how to bring the fun or what?). I hope you all made it through Blue Monday unscathed. I bravely went to Monday trivia and we won! *Only two teams showed up.

We need to pull out all the stops to prevent January from being too January. Although the sun is shining this morning, winter is getting to me, so I decided an emergency Winter Dopamine Menu is in order.

Winter Dopamine Menu, or 20 Low-Cost Ways to Fight Back Against January

1. Take a walk—it’s painful, it’s cold, and you’ll 100 percent feel amazing when you walk back into your abode.

2. Twinkle Lights everywhere.

3. Battery-operated or regular candles everywhere.

4. Take a hot bath or shower. Bonus points for doing it by candlelight.

5. Put on your nicest pajamas or loungewear after said bath/shower.

6. Buy yourself the cheapest bouquet from the grocery store.

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   The Seasonalist on Instagram: “Giving the January Flower of the Month—the much-maligned carnation, a full square. I’m a fan and proud of it.”

   January 16, 2024

7. Warm soup. Duh. See also: chili. Last night I texted my friend chat and 4 of the 5 of us had made chili. Such a cold weather cliche and I’m here for it. For the curious, I made this chili. Delicious.