Seven ways to help you THRIVE this winter
This time of year sees blog after blog, post after post giving us top tips on how to help your horse stay warm and mud fever-free through the winter, usually prompting a new rug shopping spree. But what about you?
Our mental health can take a real hit through a typical winter; we're losing wellies in the mud, pushing wheelbarrows in the driving rain and we can often go days where each visit to the yard is in consuming darkness. Add COVID restrictions and the lockdown blues on top of this (because 2020) and life has the potential to get pretty tough for us equestrians, both mentally and physically.
In a world of productive crafters, banana bread bakers and at-home fitness enthusiasts, it's easy to feel just a little bit, or a big bit, crap! So here are seven survival tips specifically for you, from me; someone who has never baked banana bread and who can often be found eating biscuits on the couch and avoiding responsibilities! Enjoy:
1. If you need an hour/afternoon/day/weekend to yourself, take it! Hiding under a blanket watching Christmas movies too early on Netflix and inhaling the entire contents of your kitchen is FINE! I call it "self-care" and I KNOW that's important.
2. When you get cold, take a long shower or bath (I like to have mine the temperature of Hell itself) and use a shower gel that makes you feel amazing. It sounds silly, but if I use a "meh" shower gel, I never feel as good as when I've used one of my favourites. My favourite is Body Shop Coconut or Original Source Shea Butter.
3. Don't feel bad for having a glass of wine or whatever your favourite tipple is, at the end of a long hard day. To be clear, I'm not encouraging excessive drinking but if, like me, you enjoy a cold glass of wine which helps you relax then WHY THE HELL NOT?
4. Buy Working Hands hand cream and use it every single day! It is the ONLY hand cream I have ever found to work on my horrid, dry, outdoor hands. It will change your life.
5. Laaaaayerrrs. Layer up (in Apt Cavalier obvs) this winter so that you can adjust if needed. I am a freezing person; however, I tend to heat up quickly, so I start with a Performance Skin, Sweatshirt and Jacket. By the time I have finished mucking out the jacket is usually thrown over the bale of straw and I'm in optimum comfort. Layers are key and you can shop here.
6. Get your favourite playlists ready. Last year we were given an Alexa who lives in our kitchen, and she adds tremendous value to our lives. Even if we've been soaked or frozen during the day, we put our comfies on and rock out to our favourite songs while we make dinner, and it ALWAYS lifts our mood. I place a lot of importance on laughter and silliness. You can browse the Apt Cavalier playlists here.
7. Fill your house with gorgeous aromas. Even if you can't find the time/strength/motivation to clean or tidy your home, you can enrich your environment by lighting a candle or burning a wax melt. I have an inferior sense of smell (actually fairly handy for someone who spends a lot of time shovelling shit), but when my Christmassy scents are burning away, and they reach my nostrils, it GIVES ME LIFE! I get mine from a lovely little Scottish business called Rock and Roll Aromas.
So there you have it, if I'm not at the stables or my desk you will find me sipping wine and eating biscuits with my cinnamon wax burning.
Now, "ALEXA... play 'Feeling Fiiine' Playlist by Apt Cavalier on Spotify."
Sarah x
