Welcome to week five of the January 2021 Challenge. This month we have looked at all things winter along with our Northern Hemisphere homeschooling families. For Week five we are looking at the Winter Blues ( winter doldrums, the blues, cabin fever)
Dealing with gray skies, incescent rain, being confined by snow, ice and extream cold or facing onging covid lockdowns takes it’s toll on anyone no matter who you are. Due to your season in life you may feel it more keenly than at other times.
Tips to deal with the dismal days of winter**
- Get moving – exercise releases endorphis (feel-good brain chemicals) that can help to ease those low feelings. It raises the body temperature which in turn has a calming effect on the body and mind. Movement can be in the form of a walk around the block, a couple of laps around the local mall, music and a dance off with the children in the living room or a living room walk (there are a few 3 miles walks on YouTube to help)
- Eat Better – You may be surprised to learn that what you are eating could be contributing to your low feelings. Gut health has been shown to be closely linked to brain and emotional health. Start with a better choice in one meal a day and build the healthy habbit from there.
- Get enough sleep. This one seems obvious until you are honest with yourself. Take a look at how much sleep you are actually getting. A good night sleep does wonders to fulling your energy tanks and adding patience to emotions.
- Try Aromatherapy – Smell has been shown to absorb aromas and convert them into mood lifting hormones. Try diffusing oils like lavender, bergamot, frankincense and citrus oils. These have been showing to have a calming and uplifting effect.
- Read worthy books to support you as a home school mom. It doesn’t matter if you read a page a day or a book a day.
- Get Outdoors – Natural light is a wonderful balm to the soul along with fresh air and a change of scenary.
- Schedule in daily time spent alone. Train each member of your family to spend an hour alone each afternoon. You can read more on the practical aspects of it here: How Important is Alone Time and Home Schooling ?
- Simplify your weekly schedule to include a minimum of two consecutive days a week at home. Being out and about is exhausting and robs you and your children of vital energy needed to complete the task at hand of homeschooling.
- How Important is Alone Time and Home Schooling ? – Looking after the most important person of the homeschool is vital to the success of your journey.
- Dear Mom who is Feeling overwhelmed – Taking on too many things that seemed to be right almost crippled our homeschool. I had to learn to do homeschool uniquely for my family and not fit other families expectations onto mine.
**Please be aware this post is not intended as medical advice. If you’re experiencing serious or prolonged issues with depression, please see your doctor.
What do you do to address the Winter Blues?
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Thank you to Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses for writing this post. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Featured from week 4 of the January challenge
- Winter Themed Crafts for All Ages by The Schoolin’ Swag Blog
- Winter Crafts over at Our Homeschool Notebook
- Children’s Craft Books over at A Net in Time.
This weeks prompt is: Winter Blues
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