It’s colder and darker, putting us at risk of Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD affects the mental health of approximately 26% of the population during the wintertime. With the bluest day of the year coming up on January 20, we’ve got your back with Kiki Athanas on this week’s episode of the Healthy Is Hot podcast with Chloe Wilde. Kiki is a health writer and speaker specializing in holistic healing modalities spanning nutrition, mindfulness, and cannabis for wellness. Through working with health tech startups and wellness brands over the past several years, Kiki has advanced her education and experiences in natural lifestyle practices. Her journey and mission is, ultimately, to inspire a new way of "mindful living" that fits today's modern lifestyle, which she shares on her blog MEByKiki.com. Today, Kiki leads wellness events & workshops across the city, is the In-House Nutritionist at Calii Love, and is in the process of natural her new adaptogenic supplements line, Kiki Naturals.Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression with similar symptoms. Are you feeling fatigued? Struggling with getting out of bed? Prone to crying? Struggling with sadness? If these symptoms are more common than not, hopefully these tips and tricks will supplement whatever tools you already have in your toolkit. Mental health is health, let’s prioritize it. 1. Mindfulness. Start with checking in with yourself, be mindful with your own feelings. And extend it outwards and check in with your loved ones. Give meditation a chance, and do it YOUR way with however amount of time YOU want. There is no secret sauce or one-size-fits-all way to do it. 2. Go spend time in nature. It’s been shown to reduce stress, improve sleep, boost creativity and simmer down cortisol levels. 3. Go for a walk outside, even if it’s gloomy out, try to spend a little time outside during the day. 4. Fill out your social calendar with activities that fuel your soul and make you feel good. 5. Nourish yourself! Bring back complex carbs (yes, carbs). Sweet potato, quinoa, wild rice - these are all slow burning carbs which have been shown to increase serotonin which is the “happy” neurotransmitter. Load up your plate with dark leafy greens (your body will be happy and your mom will be proud). And try chaga mushrooms; high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. 6. Are you getting enough B12? Meat products, fortified milks, nutritional yeast, supplements, etc 7. Move your body! Releases endorphins (yay). Make it a priority, schedule it in, and commit. Doesn’t have to be a sweat fest each time, just get out there and move. 8. Light therapy :)