It’s that time of the year again when we store our shorts and sandals away and start reaching out for the bulkier and cosier clothes in our wardrobe. That time of the year when trees are showing us their feistier colours and we drag our feet a little bit more than usual to hear the crunching noise that fallen leaves make beneath our feet. It’s that time of the year when all the beverages have “spiced” in the name and Netflix-n-Chill sounds like the best Friday plan a girl can have… Ah, autumn, what’s not to love about this season?

In my case, the change in season has come together with a rather ugly case of demotivation and mental block. Don’t get me wrong, I still love autumn and particularly in England where the landscape seems to have caught fire for a few weeks before the winter hits us in the face. I am even excited to be wearing scarves and hats once again after a loooong summer, but I won’t deny that this year round it seems the arrival of autumn has taken a toll on my biorhythm as I am finding it hard to keep a busy and positive mind.

Being the chirpy and goofy girl I normally am, it’s getting a bit frustrating that my head is messing up with me right now, when all I want to do is to be back up and kicking some ass. Because that’s what we are supposed to be doing, arent’ we?

And the more I feel I cannot get myself to do that which I am supposed to be doing, the more I get annoyed at myself and the more I tend to wallow in my own lack of spirits. Pass me the chocolate, will you?

This is the exact same reaction I have every time I get sick. I am a lousy patient and the minute I feel my body is taking me hostage, I refuse to accept the situation and fight it as hard as I can, with the help of my trusted lemon & ginger concoction that, I believe, was able to cure all sorts of ailments in some other age.

So needless to say, whenever I find myself in such a state, I have to fight my natural instinct and ask myself: what would my mother say? The answer is always the same: listen to your body, take care of yourself, give yourself a break.

I know. Easier said than done…

But I don’t want this post to be all grim and disheartening. Once the problem identified, there is no point in trying to hide from it –meaning I cannot simply duck my head under the duvet until spring rolls back to us. Instead, I think it’s much healthier to use the leftover motivation that is sitting in the bottom of the glass and drink up!

So no worries, glamistas, because in case you are feeling the same way about autumn, like a slug that cannot keep up with its own thoughts for no apparent reason, but that somehow manages to function in the adult world without people noticing it too much, I thought it could be useful to share these little tips that seem to be gearing me up in the right direction (up, up, up!!!)

Three things that I am doing to get out of my seasonal lethargy

1. Keep moving, moving

As much as I used to hate waking up early in the mornings, when we came back from our trip I promised myself that I would change my morning routine to try and squeeze in some physical activity that would pump those endorphins into my bloodstream from the start of my day. This means I have the time to let my body wake up and fully activate before I get to work, a big change from my jump-out-of-bed-and-get-ready-in-15-minutes habit from before… My current YouTube playlist combines cardio workouts with yoga practices. Add a healthy breakfast to the mix and you are ready to take over the world!

2. Fuel your soul with good company and healthy food

I may sound like a broken record here, but whenever I feel stuck in a motivational slump, spending countless hours scrolling mindlessly through Instagram very rarely helps. Even though social media can be a great catalyst for sharing how we feel and receive the support of our amazing virtual family, nothing beats a warm bear hug or a friend’s terrible jokes cracking you up and making you forget all the worries in the world!

As for the food… I don’t want to play devil’s advocate here, but I would recommend to feed your body with things that will do good. Apparently the change in season makes us crave for carbs and hearty comfort food (no surprises there!), and whereas I am very much in favour of indulging every now and again, we shouldn’t give in to all those heavy or sugar-loaded cravings. They provide instant satisfaction but they can make you feel sleepy and hungry again after a few hours…

3. Sleep well and be kind to yourself

By sleeping well I don’t mean turn into a human-shaped sloth and hibernate for hours and hours each day. I rather mean if you are feeling low and more tired than usual, make sure you are getting your beauty sleep until your body comes to terms with the new season (and even then, you should be getting around 8 hours of sleep each day to allow your brain & body to unwind and reboot properly). You and I both know the theory, try to put it into practice and switch off your phone a bit earlier tonight 😉

Last but not least, don’t beat yourself up when you find yourself in this frame of mind, because 1) you can blame the weather, better scape goat never existed! and 2) this too shall pass!

I guarantee you will regain the motivation and the will to live, to do stuff with your friends and loved ones, and to crack on with your job and side hustles because that’s how we are. We are powerful machines that get a bit rusty at times, but a little TLC in the form of bubble baths, chocolate treats and reruns of Friends work miracles in getting the engine going, trust me!

The truth is that we live our life through highs and lows, and while it’s important to acknowledge and accept that not every day has to be Instagram perfect and you are allowed to feel down and shitty, it’s even more important to remember that even in the lowest times, there is always something worth waking up for.

How do YOU keep the low spirits at bay and the motivation juices flowing, peeps?

Hope you have an amazing week ahead, glamistas!

Peace & Love

Saida