Your Tips: Taking Care of Ourselves in December

December can be such a difficult month for many people. There's the low level of sunlight and shorter days. The holidays bring up all sorts of complicated feelings, from loss of loved ones, to familial conflicts, to personal inadequacy, to feeling left out. The spending can be stressful and not joyous. More viruses circulate and our defenses could be down. And, the weather could make spending time outdoors unpleasant. So, it's no wonder this can be a difficult time for so many. 

For myself, I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, I feel a huge sense of loss this time of year as the anniversary of my mom's passing approaches (she passed away just before Christmas of 1984), the financial stress takes its toll, and I tend to work extra hard making the holidays a special period for my family. I don't think I do a very good job of taking care of myself in December. 

Last year, I became sick on Christmas Eve. Our Christmas celebration had to be postponed 2 weeks as a result. I don't want that to happen again this year for me, and I don't want it to happen to you, either.

So, I thought we could all share 1 or 2 tips for taking care of ourselves in December.

My two tips:

• don't skip meals. Eat regular, healthy meals, on schedule. I know I feel better if I'm eating healthy in December and limiting the treats that I eat. It's a choice. I can eat healthy and feel well, or I can eat treats and feel not up to parr. I just have to remind myself of the consequences to eating a plateful of fudge or cookies.
• get to bed on time. It's tempting for me to stay up late, but I also know that my best chances of shortening any virus I may contract is to sleep well every night. Even if this means I'll miss out on one or two late-night, fun experiences during the season. We will no longer go to the late church service on Christmas Eve, as an example. Count me as one of the fuddy-duddies who can only go to the early service.

Your turn. What are 1 or 2 of your best tips for not only surviving December, but truly enjoying it? How do you take care of yourself this time of year?

More Low-Tech Heat Conservation: Wearing Knit Headbands Indoors

We all know that wearing a hat outdoors when the weather is cold will help keep us warmer. According to this article from Harvard University, when our bodies feel the cold in winter, blood is diverted away from the extremities and into the core of our bodies and to our brains. So, to keep your fingers and toes warm, put on a hat when venturing outdoors in winter.

But what about inside our homes for those of us who keep the thermostat lower than average? Personally, I can't tolerate the extra heat of a hat indoors. Even when the house is set at 64 degrees F, a hat is just too toasty for me. However, I've found a heat-retaining solution that's a step down from knit hats, my knit headbands. For those of you who have been reading here for several years, you may remember me posting about the headbands that I knit for my two daughters Christmas 2013. I used yarn that was leftover from other projects and knit in the garter stitch (knit on both sides, no perl). Both headbands were simple and quick to knit, and my daughters still wear them now, 9 years later. 

A couple of Christmases later, one of my daughters gave me the two knit headbands above. These are what I wear on my head in the house when I'm chilled. They're not so warm that I overheat, but warm enough so I can tolerate lower indoor temps.

I thought I'd share because I know many of you knit and likely have extra yarn from other projects. Or perhaps you're looking for something to put on your holiday wish list that would be practical, yet fashionable. With trying to conserve energy used for our home's heat, many of us are turning the thermostat down a degree or two. While I can use a throw when sitting, the headband solution is something I can do to help stay warm while moving around.

With my two headbands, each offers a different level of warmth. The red one is a looser knit and not as warm (good for when I'm just a little chilled or when going out for a walk when temps are above freezing). While the brown one is fleece-lined and very insulating (good for very cold days indoors or out, or after I've washed my hair and I'm waiting for it to air dry). I use both headbands all winter as part of my winter clothing arsenal to stay warm, both indoors and out.