Speaker #0Hi, welcome to The Pulse, the podcast where we explore the heartbeat of life and work. I'm Julie, your host, and I'm thrilled to have you join me on this journey. Every two weeks, I will bring you a regular dose of inspiration, practical tips, and regular stories about personal development, wellness, and career growth. Whether you're looking for motivation, fresh perspective or just a reminder that you're not alone, you are in the right place. So welcome and let's dive in. Hello, hello. Oh my god, we're already in the burr months actually by the time this episode comes out. We'll be almost at the end of September which is insane how the year has gone by so fast and today I really wanted to do an episode on how to keep those end of the year, those months that are getting colder at least on the northern atmosphere, how to deal with this those cold wintry dark months and to still not feel like it's overwhelming that is making us very tired that is creating this feeling of negativity etc. Yeah, moody feeling. And moody can be positive, by the way. Let's talk about it. But I have a few tips on what I do and what I plan to also implement for some of them in the next couple of months. So let's talk about it. The first situation that I would talk about is during those months at the end of the year that are getting dark, you end up having less. vitamin d and that is truly an issue of lacking sun because you really need it for for your mood it's really fully impacting you so what i would recommend is in general whenever you can do some kind of blood test to understand where you're you can do this a previous year actually it's even better if you do it at the end of the winter so then you know what's your current vitamin d level and potentially you're going to see it very low mine was very low this year and so you after that you may end up wanting to do some kind of routine if you know that your vitamin D is getting very low and I think some countries in the northern parts Scandinavia they're amazing and they know very well what to do but overall having those lamps there are some specific lamps that you can help with that feeling of having the sun and can help you build vitamin D so this would be a routine you may want to implement you may also want to take some actual vitamins some actual complement in order to avoid had that vitamin d being so low and this is so important for your own body your own environment you need that vitamin d to remain at a certain level in order to feel good and feel positive and that it doesn't end up having this your brain chemistry end up being quite in a setup that is very negative and very tired And your body then will be more tired than usual if your vitamin D is not high enough. So lamps, complement, things that can help you boost it. Of course, if yours is not low from the get-go, you don't have to boost it further. But some people get it very low along the months as they don't see the sun so often. Then maybe having a certain boost can help. And sometimes even if you see the sun, it might not be enough. because the sun is further away and therefore you don't get it as much as possible. So the second part is actually also related to the sun. I would... try to consider whenever you are in those months to try to switch around a little bit your schedule. You're going to end up most likely starting work in the dark or as the sun is coming up, you're going to leave work when it's already dark. And those type of situation can be very tiresome because you might end up in the office all day and therefore don't have the time to see the sun, to be outside, etc. It's also cold outside, right? So... two things. It's always to have a very good coat and I would recommend to go outside over lunchtime and to go on walks to get out. If you can take a bit of a longer lunch and take a longer walk, do that because that time during the day can be very helpful. Usually what I try to do, and I'm lucky enough that I can, of course, not everyone has this opportunity, but my schedule is a bit flexible. So I'm able sometimes to take an hour and a half lunch and that one and a half lunch usually if I'm working from home then I go on a walk with my dog for like an hour an hour 15 out of that lunch because I know that the other walks are going to be in the dark they're not going to be the fun moments so this is the moments that it's cold yes I'm going to put a big scarf I'm going to go a big coat a big hat but I'm going to take it on or if it's I'm going to take a cap, a big coat. And I'm going to go outside, even if it's raining, by the way, because this is when we have light and you need that light. So I would really encourage whenever you can, and I'm even planning for me to try to do this more often also during lunchtime when I'm in the office, but to have that opportunity to go outside and not stay in for a big lunch. You still need your food, but taking the time to be outside during the light time. is important. And not everyone can, but whenever you can get out of the office, do it. It's really critical. It's really going to help you refresh your mind, refresh your thoughts. So this is something I've learned. And I would say also that helped me a lot having my dog is that I have to go outside. And I know when it's dark, you don't want to go outside, but still taking the opportunity to go out can be very helpful. But switch up your schedule a little bit and make sure that you have that time. during daylight to go and take a long walk. So we've talked about going on walks, daylight, talked about vitamins and all those things are good but you can also use the cozy moments and you can want to stay inside, stay cozy and for this what I do which I think a lot of people have talked about the Iggy mindset is really to try to have a very nice blanket, to have some candles. To have a moody light, to have a cozy book, to have a, or watching something cozy on the TV, something, and maybe sweets. I love to have a hot chocolate or a hot tea, things like this that makes you feel like you're taking the season as it is and enjoying and building that coziness around you that is going to make you feel good. And that coziness can also be food. I love to have pumpkin soup, for example, things like this. hot food, hot meals, a bit different, maybe some different tastes, take the veggies from the season and roll with it and try to create that feeling of hugging around you to make you feel cozy. So just to explain to you a little bit what would be my routines when I come home, I always have to go walk my dog. So it's going to be either very dark, it's going to be dark, it's going to be either rainy or snowy or cold or someone with the above. And I still take the time to go outside for long. And if I go to, like, usually I stay within the city, so I always have light. But if I were to go outside in, on the fields or in some other places, then I would have always my headlamp. And then after 45 minutes, an hour of walk with him, I would go back. And the first thing I would do is completely change and put the coziest, set of PJs or whatever. big socks. If I feel very cold, I will take a quick hot shower, maybe have a hot bottle, and then I would bundle up on the couch or I will try to have some moments to create that coziness. Maybe having a tea, I'm going to light a candle. Usually I'm going to put on some audios, so either audiobook or TV, and then I would not start cooking yet because it's a bit too early, but I would just try to... have this moment of coziness with my dog. And then I'm going to start cooking and creating that smell of having very nice food. And this is how I would roll for the evening. Now, You may want to do a different routine, but always try to build something around that, around that coziness. Whenever you come home, you might be busy. But I remember the case of growing up when it was raining after school and I would come home and I would be completely soaked. It would be 5, 6 p.m. Dinner was only at 8. And my mom usually would say, OK, go change completely, like take out all those wet clothes. And she would have a hot chocolate and some bread and butter for me. waiting because in France we have le goûter which is usually 4 p.m meal which is usually very sweet and very good and that feeling of comfort food it's always very nice so usually you have chocolate butter and bread during that time and it was of course not every day but very often that when I needed this feeling of coziness that my mom was creating it and it's in a sense it's not because we're adults now that we cannot create it, but for ourselves. So just find something that makes it cozy, makes you feel good. And as I said, also changing clothes, putting something warm can really be helpful as well. Now we've talked about coziness, but we've not talked about sports. And you still have to do sports when it's winter. And I know it's super hard because it's very cold. Because you might be more tired because the days feel shorter and you just want to cozy up. It might be hard to do sports. But I would highly encourage to do that because it's really going to help you overall when it comes to keeping your mood up. And for me, I am a morning person. So I will usually use the opportunity to go in the morning. So it's still going to be dark. Yes, I will have my headlamp and I will go running. And this is something that potentially I will do. And if I'm not able to do that that day, then I might go do a session during lunchtime. So getting the light of the day. Or I will do indoor sessions. And so this is also why in order to keep that coziness, some people love to go to the gym. And I would also advise you to go to the gym maybe after work, right after. Don't come home because if not, you're going to want to stay cozy and go directly to the gym or to run. But what I do is I have a stationary bike as well that I use and I have some equipment. And so sometimes I just decide to do a workout at home. And that stationary bike has helped me a lot as well. It's an actual bike just on a special system that helps me keep and doing some exercises at home whenever I don't want to go out and whenever I feel too cold and I don't feel this is the right moment, then I have material and I have things with me. right away. And I'm not telling you to buy, buy, buy. You don't have to have a lot of things, but I would say I have three sets of weights and then I have a band that helped me build. And then I do some planks. I'm going to do some squats. I'm going to do different exercises. And then my bike is just the bike I would use for regular things. It's just on a station, so it's easy to use right away. So try to make sure that you... keep a certain routine for sports. I think it's very important to avoid stopping it completely. You need that in your routine and I would highly advise to do so. Now those months are still going to be hard and therefore I have kind of started something that could give you some thoughts. So for me Thank you. What I'd like to do usually during that time is I try to view each month for what it is and try to build a certain setup of what makes sense. So I've actually organized a monthly kind of get together where I invite my friends and the one that can come, come and the one that can't, can't. But for different things. So we're going to have game night. We've planned a Harry Potter weekend, bigger Harry Potter fan. And therefore, we're going to watch the movies on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So I've built a whole routine around when the movies are coming. And therefore, people can come by if they want or stay for one or for all. And basically, I used to do that all in like back to back. But now I've decided to do it only in the evening. So it gets dark so early in November. So it's kind of a perfect setup for it. And in December, there is also this kind of Christmas. time so you can create Christmas ornaments with your friends or you can go to Christmas markets. etc. So there is multiple things that you can do to try to keep this feeling of coziness by hanging out with your friends. Don't wait for people to organize. Organize yourself. Go for it. Try to find some things to do. And if you don't like to host, I like. But if you don't like to host, then you can try to organize something outside. I will go pottery painting. I've seen also some other activities when you can knit or whatever else. So you can go to a bookstore, to a library, to whatever places. There are different things that you can do with your friends. Just organize it. And as I said, you don't have to be the one to host if you don't like. If you like to host like me, just host this. I'm not making it a big deal. I'm not going to like overly organize everything. I will have some food, some snacks. I told people to come and that's basically it. I'm not going to like cook a big meal. If I were to... Most likely we'll do some popcorn, some different things for the fun. And then people will also bring and if I really want it, I'm going to order pizza or whatever. But the goal is to have a moment of fun for an evening when it gets darker. People are less inclined to getting outside. Maybe by creating something where multiple people come and get together and it's less heavy on others, then maybe being the one to organize can be helpful. So I'll tell you more about how those... session with a different timing went but I have yeah four things planned with my friends and I have a few more activities planned outside where I'm looking forward to it and really building that coziness also last year around Christmas time was about okay what are the Christmas markets around that I've never seen there is a Christmas market that I really want to go this year so I'm gonna plan for it I'm gonna plan for for not a weekend but for a day to go over there you And it's all those things. But if you just don't plan in advance for these moments, it's not going to work. Because you're going to end up in the middle of October, in the middle of November, in the dark, in the cold. And you're just going to be like, I don't want to do anything. So I would say I used to be a type A, a very heavy type A. And I became a bit more of a type B where I like to go with the flow. But this is a period of time where I like to plan ahead in order to avoid ending up. in this negative rot by, and I'm not planning every weekend, I'm still leaving a lot of space for fun, for things, for regular day-to-day, for just being by myself. But having those moments planned within September, October, November, December, and you can go even January, February, depending on how you feel. But for me, this is next year. For now, I'm just taking care of the rest of the year. And my schedule feels packed without being overly packed. Meaning I still have space if people invite me to things. But I feel like I'm not going to be by myself in a negative mood at home, feeling tired and not wanting to do anything and being in this negative mental space that you don't want to end up in. So this is what I would do. Really embrace those months. If you are in the northern atmosphere, I know if you're in the south, you get to have a super summer coming up. But if you are in the northern atmosphere and those cold days are coming, just like build that feeling of coziness around you, build that setup that is going to create this fun moment. Yeah. So I hope you liked it. This was another episode, some fun moments. And I hope this helps you build a certain environment, certain routine and certain positive feeling toward the months that are coming. Enjoy it. Enjoy the cold. And we talk in two weeks. Bye. And that's a wrap for today's episodes of The Pulse. If something resonated with you, I would love to hear about it. So drop me a message on Instagram, LinkedIn, or leave a review wherever you're listening. Your feedback fuels this community and I much appreciate it. Make sure to follow The Pulse on your favorite podcast platforms and on social media so you never miss an episode. And if you're craving for more, Check out the show notes for links, resources, and ways to connect. Until next time, keep trusting your journey, because growth happens one step at a time. See you soon. Bye.
