To fill the season with life and discovery, try these activities

For many of us, the winter brings with it a respite from the rush of summer. Like the natural world around us, we slow down a bit, retreat indoors, and take some time to recuperate. Slow, cosy, winter days-in were the things we dreamed of at the height of summer heat waves, when our social calendars were packed, and we rushed from one thing to the next.

That said, with less on our plates, there comes a time when winter boredom can set in, and this isn’t always great news for our mental health and wellbeing. A study published in the journal Psychophysiology set out to look at the link between boredom and mental health problems like anxiety and depression, and discover the most effective way to prevent boredom’s negative impact on our wellbeing. The finding? To proactively pursue activities, rather than waiting till boredom has already hit.

So, to help you on your way, we’ve gathered together eight sensational seasonal activities to try this winter, to help you beat boredom.

Cook with seasonal ingredients

There are many reasons to cook with seasonal ingredients. For one thing, it’s more sustainable. But foods that are in season also tend to be far more wholesome and nutritious, and eating with the seasons might also prompt you to try things you wouldn’t usually eat. The ingredients that you will get your hands on are likely to prompt hearty, rich dishes – the perfect thing to warm you up this winter. Vibrant red cabbage, heirloom purple carrots (and the good ol’ orange favourites, too), buttery leeks, and honey-roasted parsnips – these warming foods make moving with the seasons feel natural.

Go stargazing

Taking time to sit back and be in awe of the sky above can be a truly humbling experience, and wrapping up warm, packing a hot flask, and heading out into the winter night makes for an even more magical experience. There are plenty of astronomical events on the horizon, many of which you’ll be able to see without the need for any special equipment. Head to gostargazing.co.uk for a full calendar of what’s coming up.

Go for a winter ramble

Walking is an enjoyable activity all year round, but there’s something about breathing in the crisp air, hearing the sound of leaves crunching under your feet, and returning home with pinched and flushed cheeks, ready to wrap your fingers around a hot mug, that makes winter walks all the more special. Stomp around your regular route and take in the changing scenery, or head to walkingbritain.co.uk to discover new ones.

Try a living room dance workout

When the temperature drops, a good way to get your blood pumping and heat rising again is through exercise. But why stick with a plain old workout when you can bop along to your favourite songs? Not only are dance workouts great cardio, but they’re also bound to put a smile on your face. Invite a couple of friends to try them with you, and you’re bound to be laughing throughout. There’s a huge selection of dance workouts available for free on YouTube, and there’s something for everyone’s music t

Welcome to the weekend, friends! It’s been rainy and drizzling all morning and I’m loving it so much. I know that many people are far less excited than I am for the arrival of winter, but it’s hard to contain my excitement some days. While I don’t love the cold as much as I love fall and spring, the changing of the seasons remains one of my very favorite things about living in Ohio.

ON THE BLOG this week: Coconut Lovers be warned, this coconut rice krispie treat is going to star in your food daydreams for years to come. I adore coconut and I also LOVE a great rice krispie treat, so this combination is pretty much my idea of snacking perfection.

Who doesn’t love a quick and easy recipe full of creamy ricotta and spinach, tucked into jumbo pasta shells and smothered in marinara sauce?

The smooth creamy texture of brown sugar ice cream with its rich caramel, toffee-like flavor makes this the perfect ice cream to take me into fall.

Rich, chewy fudge brownies filled with melting Andes mints and plenty of chocolate chips are brownie perfection.

For a side dish that checks all the boxes, smokey, sweet, savory, and salty, serve these caramelized carrots with bacon.

Light and fluffy, absolutely Perfect Pancakes are a recipe that everyone needs to have in their pocket. I’ve been making this pancake recipe for as long as I can remember and every single person who has tried these pancakes has loved them.

With all the flavors of pumpkin pie stirred into a creamy bowl of oatmeal, this quick and easy Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal is our favorite fall oatmeal.

This Date Nut Roll brings me directly back to my childhood. I remember watching my grandpa roll this on the kitchen counter every holiday when we visited.

What I’m CRAVING: This Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board by Modern Honey might be the prettiest themed board I’ve ever seen. I want this for a holiday centerpiece now.

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these paper liners for the air fryer basket. I’m certain my friend Sandra is reading this and laughing herself silly because I admittedly thought they were a bit “extra” and couldn’t possibly be worth buying when she first told me about them. 

Well, I’ve had to eat those words, b

It should be a time for celebration, but sometimes our birthday triggers difficult feelings. Here, we explore how to cope with the annual event

For most people, birthdays are a fun and happy time to celebrate with friends and family. After all, they only happen once a year. However, birthdays can sometimes be accompanied by feelings of disinterest, depression, and sadness on, or in the days leading to, your birthday – AKA the birthday blues.

But, why does this happen? “The expectation to feel joy and celebrate when we don’t feel like it or may not have good reason to, can be part of the issue,” says counsellor James Eve. “‘I should feel happy or elated,’ makes no allowances for what you actually feel. We can recognise that even occasions that are a cause for celebration can contain within them moments of sadness or grief.”

However, there are a range of techniques you can utilise, and ways that you can alleviate these blue feelings...

1. Manage your expectations

Unfulfilled expectations can leave us feeling disappointed. Perhaps you may have wanted to buy a house or change careers by the time you reached a certain age, but that didn’t happen.

“The beautiful thing about expectations is that they can always be changed or managed,” James explains. “If you didn’t achieve X, then perhaps change it to Y, or break down X into more manageable chunks. Did you want to climb Mount Everest? Perhaps start with Ben Nevis.”

2. Embrace ageing

While society often tells us to fear it, ageing is a completely natural process. In fact, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, the older you get, the happier you become.

“As we age, we also have a better understanding of what makes us tick, and can make more informed decisions,” James says. “With maturity, we may also have the opportunity to be more fully ourselves, to drop any pretenses, or stop trying to fit in, which can be liberating and something not easily obtained from our youth.”

3. Gratitude attitude

It’s common human nature to focus more on the negativities surrounding your life. Perhaps you just lost your job, or broke up with your partner, and you may feel that there is nothing worth being thankful for on your birthday. Actively focusing on what brings you joy and reflecting on the positives can help with such feelings.

James highlights how you can incorporate this into your day-to-day life: “Try a daily practice of 15 minutes. Focus on what you are grateful for; reflect on people, places, or objects that bring you joy. If this feels difficult, keep going with it. We have to work the muscle for it to be stronger.”

4. Decide what your version of ‘celebration’ is

During birthdays, it’s acceptable for you to be selfish. By identifying your desires, you can decide whether an extravagant celebration, a small family dinner, a solo day at the beach, or not celebrating at all, is what work

A new study has found that looking at mental health memes may actually help to relieve some symptoms of anxiety and depression

When it comes to its effect on our mental health, it’s fair to say that the internet gets a pretty bad rap. Comparison traps, the onslaught of bad news, misinformation, and a general sense of information overload.

That said, there are still glimmers of something more positive, and a new study that aligns with National Meme day 12 November has uncovered some surprising findings.

The study, from Sheffield Hallam University, has found evidence to suggest that memes – an image and short caption that usually depicts an element of culture or behaviour in a humorous way – may actually be able to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression.

When it comes to memes focused on mental health, the general attitude was to dismiss them as ‘trivialising’ the real-life struggles, but the research by Dr Jennifer Drabble and Dr Umair Akram at Sheffield Hallam’s department of psychology, sociology, and politics has instead found that mental health memes can help us to express difficult emotions in new and creative ways, as well as improving our emotional bonds with each other in a socially supportive way.

“Following the culmination of our work in the area, and the recent increase in studies related to internet memes, we wanted to explore the psychological impact that mental health-related memes may have for individuals experiencing psychiatric symptoms. Often, memes of this nature are disparaged, often without any substantial evidence,” said Dr Umair Akram.

“Research in this area is relatively new. As such, we felt that it was important to set a research agenda, providing tips for other researchers who may be interested in the topic.”

In the UK, it’s estimated that more than 8 million people are experiencing an anxiety disorder at any one time, and one in six people are affected by depression. But despite their commonality, anxiety and depression can be very isolating experiences, in part because of the way that they make us feel, but also because it isn’t always easy to put into words the things that we’re going through.

So, when we stumble across a ‘meme’ that gets an experience spot on, even if that experience isn’t a particularly pleasant one, it can feel affirming. The research paper from Dr Akram and Dr Drabble highlight the online forum Reddit, which hosts a subreddit named ‘memes and misery’ and another called ‘depression memes’, but there are countless sources out there. The researchers point to previous findings that 47% of college students reported engaging with internet memes as a way of alleviating psychiatric symptoms, with self-deprecating memes allowing them to laugh at their problems,

Hey friends! Happy Friday and hellooooo from Scottsdale. I’m here for a Mastermind event with Jill, and enjoying soaking up as much knowledge as a can and creating my plan for 2023. I have some exciting new things that I want to do and create, so I’m pumped to share them with ya.

(With Giselle, Amber, Kim, and Natasha at Postino the other night. Black bodysuit is here)

What do you have going on this weekend? My cousin is getting married (!), we’re meeting up with friends for a music festival, and tomorrow is my bday.

All I really want to do is hike with the fam, eat Indian food and watch a movie. Low.key.

For my bday, I wanted to share a little something with my friends who are looking for 1:1 coaching to help you reach your health goods and feel amazing, especially as we head into the new year. Head here and enter the code BIRTHDAY for $100 off monthly 1:1 coaching. (Minimum three-month commitment.) I can help you with fitness programming, nutrition, sleep, building healthy habits, and stress management. Your program is fully tailored to your goals and your needs. Check it out here; I have 10 spots available.

I also have a steal for Fit Team if you’re just looking for fitness coaching in a group environment: get 6 months of fitness programming for $197! That’s less than $33 per month for workouts that are phased for optimal results, flexible for your routine, and will help you build lean muscle and burn fat. The first 20 to sign up today will get custom nutrition guides as a little gift from me to you. Check it out here! (no code needed) New workouts go out on the 28th.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

Life:

The Pilot took over as commander for one of the fighter squadrons here. (He was previously commander of another squadron.) We had a ceremony and reception on base, and were so thankful that so many friends and family were