With fall now solidly on the calendar—though weather in the US is ranging from snowy to still-pretty-much-summer—the change of seasons is met with some mixed feelings. Some welcome the cooler months, while others dread them. When you’re a writer, an editor, or anyone else who stays indoors a lot, I think it’s safe to say we could use some self care ideas.
Personally, autumn has always been my favorite season, but when it comes to winter, I’ve had less affection for it lately, since I was diagnosed in 2016 with a hormonal imbalance due to a Vitamin D deficiency (making winters really challenging!). In my crawl back to better health, I’ve learned some winter-specific tips (among them: there’s no Vitamin-D-producing sunlight in winter, and you need specific nutrients like these and foods like these to absorb Vitamin D at all). But as I started throwing together my own thoughts, I started boring myself [yawn] and realized that some of my darkness-loving friends might have some even better tips and make this a lot more fun.
So, without further ado, I present my vampire friends and their helpful self care tips! (Connect with them on social media. They’re really cool.)
Contents
—Jody Skinner
Great Self Care Ideas for the Dark
We creatures of the night just love the fall and winter months, when the days get shorter and the nights get longer. We live for the night! Muahahahahahah!
(…Er, sorry, got a little excited there.)
Those of you living on the other side of the dirt seem to prefer the sun, though. You bask in it, getting these things called “suntans.” Quelle horreur! But winters are different. Indeed, humans can suffer from something called Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) during the darker months. And because we undead are nicer than you think, I’d like to share 5 Tips to Combat S.A.D.:
- Invest in a good, true-spectrum light for your work and living spaces. It can mimic the effects of sunlight and cheer you up. You can get a lamp or look for individual bulbs. (But don’t think having a “sun lamp” will deter us from trying to visit you. Let us in, dear…)
- Watch your Vitamin D levels. Your body processes Vitamin D naturally from the sun, but some people end up deficient in this necessary nutrient in the darker months. Be sure to check with your doctor on what your base levels are before supplementation. Studies have shown it helps with winter mood issues. (I wouldn’t want you to be down during our “dinner date.”)
- Get some exercise. Walking, dancing, running—it may be cold out, but there are many free workouts on the Internet that you can do inside without equipment. Why exercise? Well, not only does it keep you healthy, it also raises your endorphins! (And we love it when those tasty treats are swimming around in your bloodstream … they’re quite delectable!) If you like running, I can enlist some of my zombie friends to chase you. I’m sure they’d be eager to help!
- Make a happy music playlist. Find your favorite beats and put them on repeat! Music has positive effects on the brain. (Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor is my … how do you say it? Oh yes, my “jam.”)
- Get hygge with it! Hygge is a Danish term embodying comfort and coziness. Bundle up in a warm blanket, throw a log on the fire or light some nicely scented candles, then read a good book or enjoy a family game night with mulled cider and spiced gingersnaps. (A little sweet for my tastes, but I can see why humans like them.)
I hope these tips help during the gloriously dark winter months. Just remember: Embrace the nighttime, darlings! It’s waiting for you …
I’ll see you at sundown. Toodle-oo!
—BelfryBabe1673
Beth Wojiski | writer, copy editor, proofreader | Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
You Are What You Eat
Fostering good health can be a bit of a challenge when you’re following an undead schedule. While good food choices are definitely one key ingredient, allergies to things like the sun and certain food items can make that job even trickier. Thankfully, there are a great many new recipes out there proving that garlic-free doesn’t have to taste like cardboard. Without further ado, here are my Top 5 Ways to Eat Healthier.
- Choose fresh, whole, “living” foods. The more processed something is, the less nutritional value it has, and the unhealthier it gets.
- It’s not just about what YOU eat, but what YOUR FOOD eats. If your food is eating Genetically Modified Organs, then so are you. Your body uses what you eat to regenerate cell tissue, so you truly are what you eat.
- Many of us are deficient in key nutrients because of our undead lifestyle. Keep an eye on your nutrient levels and seek out good supplements as needed. We are especially prone to low Vitamin D and magnesium.
- Two words … Meal Plan! Meal planning means you don’t have to make food decisions all night every night, and it reduces the decision fatigue that leads to poor food choices. (Red velvet cupcakes are NOT meal replacements!)
- Two more words … Meal Prep! By prepping ahead what you’ve planned you not only save yourself from decision fatigue, you also save yourself a ton of time.
Eat healthy food for a healthy you!
—CrunchyVampMamma
Tammy Foster | content editor, typo wrangler, author consultant
Self Care Ideas on Movement for the Undead
Many might think that living forever could grow a tad boring after a millienium or two, especially if a body loses its flexibility and strength. An inactive lifestyle isn’t for us—bring on the active undeadstyle! Also, who wants to find themselves winded when chasing down their next victim? Not me! So, if you want to avoid an eternity in a shell that is constricted by arthritic pain, just integrate these simple tips:
- Walking in the sunshine can be beneficial for the living, but moonlight strolls are best for us. With a little practice, you can modify this into a race walk or jog. Let that fresh air fill your lungs as you pump your arms and legs!
- Yoga and stretching are proven to help maintain flexibility. Find some “yoga flows” to keep age from making your joints creak as you sneak up on the unsuspecting.
- Strength training, my vampiric friends! Gone are the days when the pale undead look sickly; strong is the new skinny. Grab a kettlebell and get swinging. A little strength goes a long way in the final moments when you are capturing your next meal.
What are you waiting for? Join the legions of healthy undead with these self care ideas!
—VoraciousVeronica
JacQueline Vaughn Roe | writer; author coach & strategist | Facebook, Instagram
Self Care Ideas for Your Skin
Something we undead get asked about a lot is how we keep looking so youthful. I have to tell you that this IS a problem for us all, especially once we pass our 500th deathdays. Now, you might think it is easy to maintain our youth, what with never getting wrinkles from the sunlight. (Of course, if we get a bit of sun, we tend to crumble into dust!)
So what do we do to avoid wrinkles?
While you may have heard that we bathe in human blood, this is a rural legend, spread by peasants. Sophisticated city dwellers do not believe in it. Unfortunately, sophisticated city dwellers have the same problem, since so many urbanites are nocturnal, dwelling in concrete jungles away from the sun, emerging only to go to “bars” and “clubs” where they stay until dawn drives them home. Unfortunately, what humans drink while prowling the night time scene is VERY different from what we vampires drink. Humans drink copious amounts of alcohol, which is a diuretic—something that causes dehydration. They counter this the next morning with quarts of coffee. In excess, this makes their skin flaky and dry and ages them beyond their years.
As for me, I do not drink . . . wine. A nicely hydrated human, one who drinks lots of water each day, and eats fresh food, not salty or sugary processed food, and hasn’t shriveled with dehydration, is JUST the thing WE need to keep looking and feeling our best into our next millennium!
If you are already a vampire, remember to drink only the freshest and finest! If you are not yet immortal, consider the face you will carry into eternity. Keep hydrated by drinking lots of water and going easy on things that wrinkle your skin. Lots of water and fresh, healthy food keep you youthful and pleasing to the eye. That way, should you encounter one of us, you can stride confidently into your afterlife with a fresh, youthful glow!
—EternalBeauty1601
Victoria Marckx | developmental editor, copy editor, writer | victoriamarckx(at)gmail(dot)com
Sleep Is Self Care Too
People have known for centuries that getting sufficient and restful sleep is vital to functioning well. We’ve all seen what a lack of sleep can do. If you’ve never pulled an all-nighter in your lifetime, I’m sure you’ve seen someone who has—or you’ve seen someone with a newborn baby: feedings every hour, crying spells, catching only 14 winks instead of 40, night after night. It isn’t pretty.
Some people think “sleep is for the weak” and that winners can run on fumes. Others believe that they don’t deserve to rest. I used to believe both of those things, and I was wrong.
Even vampires need sleep. You need the best sleep you can get. You deserve it, and you deserve to rest in addition to that good sleep. I’m not asking you to overhaul your schedule and shove four more hours of sleep into each day. What I am asking you to do is take a look at your energy levels and be honest with yourself about it: do you get enough sleep and other rest? If the answer is no, what can you do today to change that just a little? Your writing will thank you, and other areas of your life will also improve when you tweak your sleep.
—NocturnaRedPen
Jennifer Harshman | book developer, editor, writer/editor coach
Vampire Advice You Can Sink Your Teeth Into
And there you have it, creative self care ideas for writers from our vampire friends. Whether you known it or not, your creativity will be energized by sinking some of the ideas into your daily routine. Who knows? It might even connect you to your “darker side” and add depth you’ve never explored before. So have fun! Be creative! And make sure to take care of yourself before someone comes and takes a bite out of you.