Hey there Reader,

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If you celebrate, I hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day on Friday. 💜

More so than the holiday, this time of year stands out to me as the true dead of winter.

If you live in the North like I do, it's about mid-February that really starts to drag on in the cold and dark. (And snow -- we got about a foot last week!)

It's easy to want to be a slug all day and maybe even feel genuinely depressed.

Spiraling thoughts, anxiety, lethargy -- for many, it's all par for the course this time of year.

I feel fortunate that this really isn't the case for me. I get sick of the cold like anyone else, but I don't have the kind of depression I used to have at this or any other time of the year.

That said, there are tools and practices that help me lean into this time of year rather than fight against it. Here are a few of them:

• Low, yellow light at night: No overhead lights, lamps only, and no blue-toned lights. Keep everything pretty low intensity. Maybe even light a candle or two (although I'm not a huge candle person). This kind of lighting signals safety and comfort to your brain as it mimics warm firelight.
• My infrared sauna: I invested in my Sunlighten Solo infrared sauna a few years ago and it's one of the best purchases I ever made. Lying in a hot sauna with red light therapy on your face while the sun is going down and it's 5 degrees outside? Amazing. If you want to try infrared sauna, there are many spas and wellness centers that offer sauna sessions, and it tends to be a more affordable wellness tool. Treat yourself!
• Comforting food: Soups, chili, curries, and more -- make food that puts warmth back in your core. I get 95% of my recipes from Downshiftology (her ultimate chili recipe is amazing and I'm going to make it this week).
• Prioritize rest: If this time of year makes you tired, I say lean into it. Take a nap. Go to bed early. Know that you're allowing your body to rest because it needs to rest, and when the sun and the heat return, you'll have more energy to go out in the world.

I hope this was helpful, and if you have practices that help you lean into this time of year, I'd love to hear about them! Reply to this email and let me know.

And if there's any other topics you'd like me to cover in a future email, feel free to reply as well.

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(Over) Halfway out of the dark 🌌,

Amanda

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