Mental Health is Wealth

In honor of October - mental health awareness month - coming to a close, some of the team at the ADK Foot Sanctuary wanted to share a few favorites when it comes to caring for mental health. This time of year, especially, is when mental health is a challenge because of the cold temps, the lack of sun and the long stretch of winter that lies ahead.

So what can you do this year to help combat the winter blues?

Christina loves:

ritual!

She lives and breathes the importance of ritual. Many of the menu items she has developed at the Sanctuary have come from her own practice of self-care ritual over the years. This winter season, discover a ritual that makes your heart sing. A foot scrub before bed, a cup of tea first thing in the morning, pick something that lifts your soul and commit to it each day morning or night. Even a minute of self-care goes a very long way.

Cadence loves:

girls’ nights!

Girls’ nights help lift her spirits no matter the activity. Dinner, cookie making, movie nights, game nights…it’s always a good time when with friends. Relaxing and laughing with great company is something we all cherish a little bit extra these days.

Anna loves:

to bundle up & head out!

Wrap up in all the cozies: scarf, hat, mittens, hood, long jacket, wool socks, leggings, boots. Head out for even 30 minutes of fresh air and feel the difference. When the cool crisp hair hits the lungs it’s hard to hold back from being swept away by the refreshing feeling. A simple walk is bound to leave you clear-of-mind when you head back inside. Anna’s loop of choice is the 2.74 mile sidewalk that skirts Mirror Lake right in Lake Placid, right outside our front door!

to sip a cup of tea under a blanket with a good book.

A great way to start or end the day. Put your phone away, choose any or all (tea, blanket, book), and gift yourself 15 minutes of uninterrupted self-care.

to practice yoga.

Roll out your mat, queue up a LIVE Zoom class or a pre-recorded YouTube flow, and find your zen. There’s no amount of time that’s too little or too much to spend linking your breath with movement to bring you back to the present.

These are some of our favorite ways to keep up with care-of-mind, what are yours?