7 natural remedies against winter blues

Boost your mojo in the dark days of winter with 7 natural antidepressants

Short, dark days, damp cold and little sunlight. Getting up in the morning you feel all tired and gloomy, and your productivity seems to have sunk below freezing point. Winter blues or hibernation? It’s actually completely natural to want to retreat within. All of nature does it. Snuggle up, look after yourself and slowly charge back up. We have 7 tips for you for staying fresh and alert, and building up your resistance!

Healthy eating is essential for a cool mind and energetic body. Although the winter blues especially can give you an appetite for fat and carbohydrate-rich food, it is important not to give in. They make you feel sluggish and have a negative impact on your moods. Healthy nutrients however have a positive impact on resistance, mood and energy levels. During the winter months vitamin C and vitamin D are therefore extra important for the immune system, as well as magnesium, zinc and L-theanine (green tea). TIPS: reishi, Immuno Botanico Mix en Gula Java matcha met Vit. D.

SWEAT, SWEAT, SWEAT! Mental and emotional toxicity easily build up in the body. When you take exercise which eliminates all dynamic and physical lethargy, you will feel great in yourself. This is because simply sweating releases plenty of dopamine. TIP: have a healthy energy drink during or after exercise:

Unadulterated JOY gives a natural boost to energy and increases the release of tryptophan! This is a substance which helps you sleep better and feel better. Tryptophan is found in oats, bananas, plums, chocolate, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds and lentils, among others. TIP: Euphoria Liefdes elixer of Anima Mundi!

Lavender, saffron, Rhodiolo, turmeric, St. John’s Wort, chamomile, valerian, green tea and passionflower are examples of powerful herbs that make you feel ZEN. TIPS: turmeric latte, chamomile tea and Anima Mundi’s Happiness tonic. TIPS: Kurkuma latte, Kamille thee en Gezonde geest thee of Sonnentor or Botanical Smoke of Anima Mundi.

Natural light makes you feel fit, fresh and wide awake. So get some! Let as much natural light as possible into your house and workplace, but particularly get outside, too. Go forest bathing: put some good shoes on and go walking in the woods. Feel the joy with all your senses and immerse yourself completely in nature. If you want to be sure you’re producing enough vitamin D – the sunlight vitamin, for example, then take a supplement. TIP: Gula Java matcha met Vit. D of Amanprana.

6. Massage

Physical contact – a big hug, loving embrace or massage – lowers cortisol levels – a stress hormone – in the blood. Oxytocin is also released, a “happiness hormone”, which is released particularly when you are feeling loved. TIP: Amanprana massageolie

7. Herbs which regulate dopamine + serotonin

These herbs are well known for producing a feeling of ‘bliss’ and vitality. Some of the best: Mucuna, Damiana, Ashwagandha, Albizia flowers and bark, Muira Puama seeds, Cocoa, Yohimbe, etc. TIPS: Mucuna and Happiness of Anima Mundi

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  Anima Mundi Mucuna Dopamine Booster 113g

  € 22

  ✔ Dopamine booster
  ✔ Raises libido
  ✔ Promotes good sleep
  ✔ Relaxing

Two delicious recipes

The combination of mushrooms and raw cocoa is magical and complementary! The alkaloids in cocoa bring about better absorption of mushrooms such as Reishi. So we can think in terms of an even more powerful boost to the immune system, mental well-being and a feeling of fresh vitality.

Raw chocolate cups, with an infusion of Reishi 

Ingredients for 4-8 servings:

100 g cocoa butter, coarsely chopped and melted in a bain-marie
50 g (1/4 cup melted) coconut oil
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3-4 tsp reishi powder
1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
1,5 tsp coconut blossom sugar
2 full tbsp organic peanut butter
1 tsp chia seeds
40 g frozen raspberries

Preparation

Start with making raspberry jam. Crumble the raspberries into a bowl and stir in the chia seeds. Put to one side to thaw. Then make the chocolate mixture. Stir all the chocolate ingredients together (all except the peanut butter), spoon half the mixture into silicon cupcake moulds (approx. 4). Stir between each spoonful to prevent the mushrooms and stevia sinking to the bottom.

Put the moulds in the freezer to chill for 5 – 10 minutes.

Remove the moulds from the freezer and scoop 1 tablespoonful of peanut butter into the centre of each one. Use the back of the spoon to shape the peanut butter into a disc slightly smaller than the diameter of the chocolate base. Spoon the raspberry jam onto the peanut butter.

Spoon the remaining chocolate mixture into the cups, taking care to cover the raspberries. Put into the freezer for 5 – 10 minutes.

Serve straight from the fridge or freezer, because the chocolate begins to melt in any warmth. These chocolate cups with reishi are very rich in taste and a half-portion should in theory be sufficient.

Euphoric Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 tsp Happiness
1 tsp Euphoria
1/4 cup blood orange juice
Berry juice 1/4 cup
1/2 cup sparkling water
Coconut blossom sugar
Zest of an orange

Bereiding

Rub the zest of an orange around the rim of the glass then place in the glass. Add ice cubes. Pour the freshly squeezed blood orange juice and berry juice all over and add sparkling water to the glass. Add the Euphoric elixir and Happiness tonic and stir with a long spoon. Add an hibiscus flower for decoration.