Whether it’s entering another year in a pandemic, the dark drives home, or something else that has you down, don’t let it ruin your winter. If you’re looking to get out of your seasonal slump, boost your mood and put a smile back on your face with these self-care activities.
Journaling
It’s been shown to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress by letting you confront emotions that you may be stifling, or to help your process and sort past traumatic events. Penny Post, Old Town Alexandria’s on-trend stationery store, has a number of journals and books by Field Notes, Heiday, and Romana and Ruth—as well as an assortment for list-making and quick daily notes—that let you jot a lot or a little to get your life on paper.
Improv
If a belly laugh is more what you’re looking for, check out a comedy show this winter. Taking a trip to Capital Laughs might be just what the doctor ordered to break out of the winter rut and into a smile. The rotating schedule of shows includes free weekly shows every day of the week as well as dedicated weekly events like Thursdays at Town Tavern, Fridays at The Gym for BYOB comedy nights, and Saturdays at Tonic.
Mindfulness
There’s no better time than winter to schedule time to take a break from the daily grind. Attend a mindfulness retreat, where you can learn to live from your intentions, at Mindful Shenandoah Valley. On January 22, you can attend a silent meditation retreat where you’ll learn how to understand your deepest intentions by focusing on what you want—and how to bring that into being.
Volunteering
Helping others is a good way to get your mind off yourself. Food for Others has volunteer groups where you can join like-minded people to serve those in need what they need most. With a rotating schedule and a number of locations, there are sure to be enough opportunities to nourish yourself by serving others. Programs Participants gather in the warehouse to help distribute donations in shifts in groups of five to 15 people.
Photography Classes
Starting this January, you can sign up at Capital Photography to learn how to capture happy moments in your life and the natural world. Get in touch with nature in a Composition In Nature class, where you’ll learn how to develop your sense of composition in nature. There’s also a class for those slightly more advanced than the beginner, where you can learn how to go beyond the automatic camera settings and finally learn what all those dials do to your final product.
Wardrobe Updates
Sometimes, all you need to feel better about yourself is a new look. Starting a new wardrobe this year will help you clean out all those old cobwebs from your closet and drawers and invent yourself all over again. Not sure what your personal style is? Check out Image Consultants International and search for a consultant in the Virginia area to help you discover your new aesthetic identity.
Spa Packages
If self-care has gotten a bit old and you’re looking for someone else to do the job, head to Fountain Day Spa to let an expert care for your soul and body. For a luxurious escape, sign up for the Mini Vacation Package to get your body buffed with polishing beads, powdered, and rejuvenated with amino acids to catch a new glow.
Color Consulting
Sometimes you literally need a new coat of paint to boost your mood and your décor. Pierre Jean Baptiste offers paint consultations that include paint and design advice and the production of a color report for some tactical guidance when it comes to supplies and application. They help you select paint colors and finishes in a two-hour consultation, then gather all the information to present a color report for your own home in a PDF.
Brighten Your Smile
Sometimes all it takes to feel happy is just putting a smile on your face whether you want to or not. Gentle Dental Care offers cosmetic, non-invasive dentistry to whiten natural tooth enamel that may be stained from all those cups of coffee or glasses of wine. Using an at-home method, you get the products and the molds to DIY yourself into a new smile after your first and second visits.
Feature image, Vectormine/adobe.stock.com
This story originally ran in our January issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
