These self-care tips and tricks are guaranteed to boost your mood
We all know that easing into winter can be a little tricky to get through, so if you’re feeling a little low right now, try some of our favourite mood-boosters to help restore your motivation.
Run a bath
Basic, yes, but it really works. Sinking into a warm bath whilst it’s dark and cold outside can really help you to feel much more relaxed almost instantly. And the best way to boost a bath’s relaxing properties? Adding a splash of Olverum Bath Oil to the proceedings. This luxurious blend of aromatic essential oils help to ease tension and stress, with uplifting notes of eucalyptus, lemon, rosemary, lavender and juniper to clarify and calm a busy mind. Apparently certain members of the Royal Family love it too. Well, if it’s good enough for Her Maj…
£35, olverum.com
Try an online yoga class
Even yoga newbies can benefit from a restorative yoga class, which is especially easier from your front room. Restorative yoga is a healing practice, designed to ease stress, combat anxiety and tension, and help you to feel more positive and balanced. A must for these dark winter days! Luckily, there’s lots of options for virtual yoga classes across Scotland too:
Aberdeen: The Yoga Spot
Dundee: Heart Space
Glasgow: Studio 70
Edinburgh: East Side Yoga
Light a soothing candle
There’s nothing like an uplifting scented candle to boost your mood and our favourite is NEOM’s Happiness candle. Infused with white neroli, mimosa and lemon, this is a light, sparkling blend that brings an instant sense of freshness to the home, and clarity to the mind. Light your candle, make a nice cup of tea and settle down with a blanket and a great book - guaranteed mood-boosters.
£46, Marks & Spencer
Read an uplifting book
Self-help books might seem like the obvious, but they can actually make you feel worse if you’re not feeling motivated to make dramatic changes, or if you’re not ready to makeover your life. We say that there’s nothing like losing yourself in a great novel to boost your mood, and at the moment, we’re loving Matt Haig’s The Midnight Llibrary.
£16.99, Waterstones
Snack on some dark chocolate
The treat-yourself mentality is a mood-booster for sure, but there’s actual science behind this one. Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that create feelings of pleasure, plus it also contains serotonin, an antidepressant that can elevate mood. So snack on a few squares and feel the benefits! Scottish chocolate company Bare Bones has a deliciously dark Madagascar 70% chocolate that we adore, so buy a bar online—you can thank us later.