5 on Friday: 5 things saving my life right now

I love this annual link up that Modern Mrs. Darcy hosts around this time every winter. I think I lean particularly towards cuddling up indoors during the Canadian winter months and I absolutely revert to comforting things to get me through to spring, summer (and my all-time favourite – FALL!).

Today I’m reflecting on 5 things that are really bringing small amounts of joy to my life during these winter months.

ONE

Connecting with others.

I consider myself an introvert, but I probably really am an ambivert. I love connecting with my close friends, and it’s harder to do that in the winter. If I’ve been replying to your instagram stories more lately than usual or e-mailing you or texting you, that’s because I am seeking some chatter about books or life or something! I have a few plans to see some good friends in February and I already can’t wait – it’s so nice to be in the present of wonderful women and just catch up and laugh and share a glass of wine. I’ve made a special effort this month to send a few things in the mail to family and friends too and drop off a few easy birthday gifts to girlfriends. It’s simple, but it has brought me so much joy to connect with these people. I have also made a couple of new friends and I am working to deepen those friendships! 🙂 I have also been avidly reading blogs but I need to get caught up on commenting and replying to e-mails!!! That’s my goal for tonight.

TWO

Sleepytime tea and a warm magic bag.

I absolutely love curling up in a comfy chair with a cup of sleepytime (any herbal) tea before bed and with a magic bag to keep me warm. Our house isn’t exactly cold – we keep the heat at 20 degrees most of the time with the heat pump, but this feels so cozy and nice 🙂

THREE

Yoga.

This is helping my neck pain and posture so much – I did quite a few of the Yoga with Adriene videos in January as well as my regular class on Monday nights. Yoga is the best.

FOUR

Fresh Air.

I tend to prefer the indoors in the winter months but we have had some lovely days with fun snow this year and I have had more time to be outside with the kids (or on my own). It has remarkably cleared my head on more than one occasion and dare I say I have actually enjoyed being outside in the snow more than usual?? Overall we have had a somewhat milder winter (in my opinion) than other years, so maybe this has helped??

FIVE

Romantic Comedies.

Both in book format and movies that I hadn’t seen in years. My husband has a poker night with friends every second Friday and for some reason I have considered those nights to be prime time to have a mindless movie on in the background and get a few things done on the computer or whatever. It’s kind of a nice routine. I am also thinking of starting This is Us (I’ve only ever seen the first episode) which is huge because I literally never watch TV anymore. I read 2 books by Penny Reid in January and 3 books by R.S. Grey – both of these self-published authors are pretty funny and the books are a fun way for me to pass the time. Not for everyone – and not for me all the time- but kinda fun nonetheless.

Honourable mentions: Audiobooks, and wonderful children’s chapter books. The audiobooks have gotten me through the January organize-the-house bug I caught and the chapter books are SO fun to curl up with and enjoy with the whole family every night before bed. We’ve had a few GREAT ones lately that are not about fairies (bonus, in my opinion).

What’s saving your life lately? Big or little – it’s fun to think about!!!

What’s Saving My Life this winter

When I saw that Modern Mrs. Darcy was hosting a link up listing the positive, helpful things that are “saving your life” during this sometimes-gloomy season of winter, I loved the idea. I suppose you could say that I don’t hate winter as much as some people, and we have mostly had a milder winter than usual this year, so that’s been nice, but it can still be a bit of a dreary time of year. Here are some things that have really made my days a bit brighter/kept me sane/increased my happiness during the grayer and darker days of winter in Canada 🙂

1) Winter running – When I can motivate myself to get out the door, I actually really love winter running. Fall is my favourite season for running because the temperatures and scenery are absolutely perfect, but winter is nice because you don’t get too hot! Especially now that we are seeing a bit more daylight, this is something that I’ve really been trying to do at least once a week to keep me sane (and in shape :))

2) Vitamin C & D supplements – I don’t always remember to take vitamins, but I have noticed a significant improvement in my overall mood since I began taking these two vitamins daily. I think the lack of sunshine really depletes vitamin D stores in particular so this one is extremely important.

3) Our Instant Pot & other small, easy, appliances – I’ve been using the Instant Pot to make yogurt and prep meals for the week. I have a whole post coming next week about my love for small household appliances 😉

4) SOUP – When winter hits, I absolutely crave soup for lunch so I’ve been making it in large batches, freezing it in muffin tins and grabbing a few “muffin sized” portions for lunches. It really fills you up, warms you up, and can be so healthy! I’d love to share a few of my favourite recipes sometime.

5) Good books and Goodreads – Honestly, this saves my life all the time because I love to read, but winter is such a cozy season for reading and I have really been embracing that lately. Granted, I have also spent a lot of “reading time” browsing social media, which has been nice in its own way 😉

6) The cold sock treatment – this is one of my favourite methods for healing from a cold. I have no idea why it works, and I know it sounds SUPER weird, but it is way cozier than it sounds (your feet don’t actually feel very cold due to the warm layers over top of the cold sock).

7) Taking a warm magic bag to bed – I love to do this in the winter and curl up with a warm magic bag on my neck/shoulders while I read for a few minutes before falling asleep. SO cozy. This is just such a pleasant way to get into bed.

8) Bullet journaling, Project 52 weeks, and fun markers/pens – It’s fun to doodle sometimes! I have also enjoyed all of my 2017 lists and random thoughts during this season.

9) Carbonated water – this feels like a treat but has zero calories. Brian carbonates it for me with his keg system (for homemade beer) and I add lime juice to it, but I also love this stuff.

10) Board game nights – we have had a couple of board game nights so far this year and I love it. Brian got a subscription box with board games in it for Christmas, so we’re excited to try out some new ones too!

and a bonus one:

11) Sunshine!!! – It has been spectacularly sunny in Halifax this week (although still cold), and it has raised my spirits (and everyone’s!) SO much. It is glorious to feel some warm sun streaming through the windows these days.

Happy weekend, friends!! Hope there is something that is saving YOUR life right now. Feel free to share any thoughts on this 🙂