It may not feel like it some days but the first spring buds are well on their way and greens are poking out under the trees on our local walk. Spring is coming.
It is also this time of year that people struggle with most. That last gasp, when your resilience is worn down and you haven’t seen the sky for days. Add to that the pressures of this crazy past two years and you have a ready-made situation to max out your mental health.
If you’re feeling like it’s all just a bit too much, you’re not alone. The key to making it out the other side, is simple, small adjustments that don’t contribute to the overwhelm, don’t take a huge amount of motivation, but do make a big impact.
It’s back to basics – and here are the key components to turn around your wellbeing
Rest
- If you have trouble sleeping check over your sleep hygiene first (see my last post if you don’t know how).
- Take a calming, herbal blend for sleep every night before bed and leave a cup to cool by the bedside in case you wake in the night.
- Stick to the same times every night to help your body get back into a routine.
Nourishment
- Eat fresh food and veg wherever you can. Home cook as much as possible – there is such a difference in the health of the elderly who have always homecooked!
- A good quality multivitamin can help rebalance vitamin and mineral levels in all areas. In winter vitamin C and D are particularly important.
- If you are experiencing real energy dips make sure you snack on protein-rich foods (like nuts and seeds) every 3 hours to stabilise blood sugars.
Movement
- Whatever your level of fitness, start where you are and try to push up one level.
- Whether it be chair exercises, walking, running, or a full workout, get your circulation going and your heart rate increasing and you’ll soon notice a difference.
- Increased stamina helps speed up our metabolism, improve our blood flow, and can help our sleep quality too. All of that in turn improves our mental health.
These steps are quite enough for you to start to feel better – and it’s the perfect basis for a deeper detox when spring does finally arrive. Then you can add in other layers – like drinking green tea for example, or cutting out dairy or wheat. So, when the sap starts to rise and the days become longer – you’ll be absolutely ready for a proper spring detox.
See you there in March?