The season of winter cheer is over and we’re left to stare down a few more weeks of cold and darkness. Don’t let winter get you down without a fight! Here are Junk360’s tips for beating the winter blues and seasonal depression by organizing and decluttering your home.
Let In Light
Many of the symptoms brought on by seasonal affective disorder are created because of a lack of light. So it makes sense that one of the top ways to combat the winter blues is to maximize the light in your house
Here are some easy ways to let in more light:
- Cleaning your window dressings: Take down your curtains and washing them. If washing isn’t possible, a quick vacuum or steaming will do the trick. Make sure to dust any blinds.
- Clean your window panes: Inside and outside! Special tools, like a squeegee or scrubber, can make the task easier, but a few microfiber cloths and a good cleaning solution will get you well on your way!
- Move furniture: Try to sit or exercise near a window. Arrange the spaces you spend time in to maximize sunlight exposure
- Get a lightbox: Buy a lightbox that features blue light-emitting diodes. They're more stimulating and produce less glare than white lightboxes.
Enjoying as much sunlight as you can is just the first step towards rejuvenating your serotonin levels and beating the winter blues.
Organize Your Kitchen
During the colder season, we often crave carb-laden, comfort foods. This, combined with a lack of exercise during the darker months, can cause weight gain and sugar crashes, which can exacerbate the winter blues.
Organizing the places where you store your food will set you up for success. Start by:
- Cleaning out your fridge and pantry.
- Stock up on feel-good foods like bananas, nuts, Goji berries, eggs, and salmon.
- Keep snack foods at eye-level so you remember to reach for them when you turn to food for solace.
Maximizing storage and organization the kitchen will help make the hub of your home warm and inviting. Some basic kitchen organization tips include:
- Ditching extra dishes to reduce clutter
- Clear off counter tips to create more open space
- Toss odds and ends
- Clean out underneath the sink
Physical clutter often creates clutter in the mind, especially when you’re trapped in that space for several months. Organizing the kitchen will help you chose and creates foods that will boost your mood in a healthy and long-lasting way.
Declutter Stressful Spaces
Your environment impacts your mood. Counters and rooms filled with clutter contribute to feelings of fatigue and being overwhelmed.
As you declutter each space, set up a space, bag, or box for the items you’re getting rid of. At the end of each day, go through those items and organize them into three sections:
- Sell: If there are items you want to sell, contact your local consignment store. Craigslist and ebay are also great ways to sell your stuff online.
- Donate: Less valuable objects make great donations. Call your local charities to find out what items they need.
- Junk: At the end of the day, throw out everything in your junk pile. Don’t give yourself a chance to rethink it.
