5 Things to Beat the Winter Blues & Giveaway!

It's official, winter is here for the majority of the country and we're feeling the icy coldness of mother nature. With the cold comes along sipping hot chocolate, wearing sexy layers to keep warm, and for some people, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a type of depression that drains your energy and makes you feel extra moody‚ which is basically me after Thanksgiving diner. At the Get the Most out of Light event sponsored by Citizen, that I attended, a design expert showcased how to use color and light to combat the winter blues which was extremely valuable.

Who knew a few extra mirrors and using the color white in your home in oder to reflect more light would help do the trick? And of you follow me on snapchat, many of you saw the footage I snapped first-hand. But what resonated with me were the 5 things needed to beat the winter blues as presented by Carrol Brick PhD.

1. Keep your curtains and/or windows open. When you brighten up your environment, you immediately feel the positive effects...like sunshine fairies sprinkling your moody-self with goodness. Go out for lunch, no more eating at your desk, besides, you finally get to flee the smell of fish being microwaved in the company kitchen
2. Eat smarter. Did you know that during the winter you crave more carbs because your making less serotonin (the happy chemical)‚ blame that on your big mac attack!
3. Exercise more. Winter also makes you not want to leave your home or move away from the couch which will contribute to weight gain so put that remote away and head to your nearest treadmill.
4. Take on a hobby. Whether you new interest involves instagramming your sock collection or pinning bikinis on Pinterest or putting wigs on your cat, find something that will keep your mind active and help fight seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
5. Keep it social. When you meet up with friends and hug hello, your body releases oxytocin which is the bonding chemical. Make sure to stay connected with your community or try a new volunteer experience.

Not only did I meet new people at the event, and learn more about seasonal affective disorder (SAD), walked out with the classic SPORT (Model: AW0050-82E watch in silver tone stainless steel) Citizen's watch for men which is valued at $225. And in my big Oprah moment -- Citizen's is letting me give away the same watch to one of my readers. So YOU get a watch!

How to win:

Tell me what you do in order to ban those blues in the winter?

3 ways to win the Citizen's SPORT watch.

1. Leave a comment on the blog, or
2. Tag me in an instagram post (@nandoism) showing me what you do, or
3. Snap me (nandoism) on snapchat doing your activity!

Contest run starting today Jan 28th and it ends Feb 1st. Winner will be announced Feb 3rd. One lucky person will win that watch, maybe just in times for their valentine?

UPDATE (feb 3,2016): WINNER: From instagram @Aobrooks -- congrats! And thank you all who entered! There will be more giveaways to come!