November Seasonal Self-Care to Anchor Sobriety

In this episode of 'The Sober Butterfly,' host Nadine delves into seasonal self-care practices tailored for November. With the onset of shorter days and colder weather, she emphasizes the importance of adjusting self-care routines to stay grounded and committed to sobriety. Nadine shares personal anecdotes and tips, such as replacing alcohol with herbal teas and mocktails, journaling, creating a cozy sobriety space, and embracing slower, restful activities. She also highlights the significance of spending time in nature and taking up creative projects to boost mental health and foster inspiration. Nadine challenges listeners to commit to one new self-care tip for the month and encourages them to share their progress on social media.

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Transcript

the-sober-butterfly_6_11-01-2024_055648: 0:02

Hello. Hello. And welcome to another episode of the sober butterfly. I'm Nadine and I am so excited for today's episode because it is all about seasonal self care. Yes. Seasonal self care because. Just like the seasons change, so should our self care practices. And with today being the first day of November, a new month, I'm noticing some things, some trends that I wanted to get into today. Last week we gained an hour with daylight savings. I always appreciate feeling like I have an additional hour to sleep or to do more things because I'm a maniac. But as the days are getting shorter, that means the sun is setting a lot earlier. Which, cue seasonal depression, right? I always feel a little bit sad when the sun is setting at 5pm. Anyway, days are getting shorter. Depending on where you live in the world, the air could be getting colder. It's crazy because here in New York, That is not happening and we are now officially in November. I went out last night in New York and I was sweating. Okay. I'm not exaggerating. I had on this little brown dress, no jacket and some boots. And it was incredibly warm, like 79 degrees warm. And I just can't believe that we're actually in November, but I digress. The air is getting colder or eventually will get colder and with these seasonal changes for some of us, this can be actually a really tricky time to stay grounded in our decision to reframe from drinking or just stay committed to our sobriety.

the-sober-butterfly_7_11-01-2024_060040: 1:48

So in today's episode, I have you covered with some unique alcohol free self care practices that will not only anchor your sobriety, but also make the season feel extra cozy and fun. Let's get into it.

the-sober-butterfly_8_11-01-2024_060136: 2:08

All right, first up, cozy rituals, hear me out. November is the perfect month to start building those warm, comforting routines. And When I actually first got sober, I struggled in the fall. Fall is always one of my favorite seasons. As a girl who mostly grew up in Florida and not feeling like I really had seasons outside of rainy and humid or hot and humid, I really leaned into Having the shoulder seasons like fall and spring when I moved to New York. I associated so much of fall with drinking. And I've talked at lengths about how I was such a big wine drinker. And so I really struggled in early sobriety to let go of my. Like wine by the fire nights. And when I say wine by the fire nights, like I don't have a fireplace. That is not what I actually mean. I just mean like getting into that ritual feeling like, oh, it's cold outside, you know, the heater's on. The heater basically is serving as a representation of the fireplace, by the way. So like the heat is on and it's just feeling like the wine, the red wine in particular needs to start flowing because also I was a seasonal wine drinker, right? We know this summer rosé or white, fall we're doing red wine, or that was my mentality back then. so when I removed the alcohol, I really felt like I needed something to replace that ritual of. Default popping the cork and drinking my wine. And that's when I actually really started to get into herbal teas and mocktails or alcohol free cocktails. And let me tell you. A hot spiced apple cider with cinnamon sticks. That's my new jam. Okay, like that is the equivalent. If not, no, it's not the equivalent It is superior to like say a red wine like a merlot or a Malbec.

the-sober-butterfly_9_11-01-2024_060510: 4:14

I think with fall we think pumpkin spice, and like, I am not anti pumpkin spice, so please do not come for me. But I'm more of an apple cider. Girl, okay, and I actually have perfected the hot spiced apple cider recipe It is on my website on the thesoberbutterfly.com so you can go over there and check it out Actually, I'll just link it in the show notes to make it easy for you but the cinnamon sticks and the cloves, the aroma just fills your home because in my recipe I do it over the stovetop. And it just is the perfect recipe to compliment the season. And of course there's no alcohol. You can add non alcoholic spirits, like a brandy into the mix if you want to. My recipe doesn't necessarily call for that, but If you're looking for something a bit more comparable to say, like a mulled wine, then you can definitely add some non alcoholic spirits to enhance that flavor and replicate that almost like taste of alcohol. I'm okay with drinking non alcoholic spirits because it doesn't trigger me to want to drink or it doesn't give me any sense of cravings, but keep that in mind depending on why you stop drinking or where you are in your sobriety.

the-sober-butterfly_11_11-01-2024_061101: 5:27

I want to be mindful that not everyone is into mocktails or, you know, anything that mimics the flavor of alcohol, even if the alcohol has been removed, like non alcoholic wines, I'm super into them, but I get that that may not be for you or for everyone. So I do want to just touch on the power of herbal teas. I am a big tea girly. I'm also a big coffee girly. I'm just like caffeine. Give it to me in any form. but herbal teas actually have lower. Traces or lower content, I should say, of caffeine, which is helpful because you can integrate it into your PM routine. Going back to this idea of fall for me, I wasn't a morning drinker. So, like, I wasn't drinking, you know, Before 5 p. m. or whatever the time is that we as a society deem that it's appropriate to start drinking. Yeah, it's 5 p. m. somewhere. Right? so for me, I needed to replace the ritual of uncorking that wine bottle with something that was a healthier alternative when I was getting sober. And so tea. Was a really great replacement for that.

the-sober-butterfly_10_11-01-2024_060811: 6:33

My current herbal tea obsession is peppermint tea, and I like peppermint tea because, first of all, I love the taste of peppermint. It's very, um, refreshing for me, and it doesn't have caffeine. So after a long day, after dinner, my new ritual is to make myself a nice cup of tea, if you're in the market for herbal teas, I would just recommend finding ones that have low caffeine or natural ingredients as opposed to artificial additives. and I would also look for teas that are rich in antioxidants because Antioxidants can help boost your immunity. And this is also the season where people start to get more and more sick. and it can also aid with respiratory issues. It improves your sleep quality, helps with detoxing. There's just so many reasons why herbal teas can. Not only provide like a soothing natural way to ease into the new season, but it can also help with many aspects of your physical and mental health. And it's just a really, I think, a great addition to your wellness routine.

the-sober-butterfly_12_11-01-2024_061336: 7:41

I posted on my story a poll, or a question I should say, around, okay, like, what seasonal self care practices are you implementing this November? And Sarah from Boston told me she starts her evenings with a cup of chamomile tea. We talked about that. The power of tea herbal tea and another great practice that she implements is journaling. So she will journal for 10 minutes a day to decompress and I absolutely love that. I'm also really into journaling myself. One of my best friends just bought me a new mindfulness meditation journal, and I'm only in chapter 2, but it's already helped shape the way I am viewing Q4 or quarter 4 of this year. My goal is, I think there's like 8 or 9 chapters, so it's not super dense, but my goal is to finish this journal. I appreciate guided journals because the prompts really help me stay focused. And you guys already know, as an ADHD girly, sometimes it's hard for me. So I like that everything in every chapter, I should say, is aligned to a specific theme and helps to ground me. in the moment and also helps me stay grounded this season. So journaling is a big practice that I highly recommend. So thank you so much, Sarah, for sharing that tip. Okay, so going back to cozy rituals to keep you grounded this season or this November, I even created this little like, I'll call it a sobriety nook in my living room, and it's just this little corner. I don't have a huge space, but in the corner of my living room, there's candles, there's blankets. I have some of my favorite books. I'm always reading more than one book at one time, so I just kind of stack them over there. And it's really just a space where. I can unwind without alcohol and I encourage you to do the same at home, set up your own ritual space and make it your own like cozy retreat from the world and include all the things that can help align you to the season or help you stay grounded this season.

9:53

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the-sober-butterfly_14_11-01-2024_062227: 11:36

Okay. So my second self care practice tip for November or for this season is actually something I struggle with. And when I Polled you guys on Instagram asking what self care practices you're implementing this November, this kept coming up in different variations, but multiple people were saying the same thing, which is, Okay. Slow down and not just slow down, but embrace the slow down and I Have a hard time with this. Um, I'm not gonna lie to you I struggle with slowing down but November is actually the perfect time to shift gears and to um move a little bit slower and it's hard for me to lean into this, like, idea of hibernation, or slowing down because I have so much to do and I feel like I never have enough time in the day to get everything done. And, you know, that's what leads to burnout. and that's what leads to feeling run down. So hearing from you guys and also, you know, thinking through how I can embrace the chill or embrace the slow down this season is really just being mindful of when I'm forcing something and not flowing my whole mantra this year. My whole, I didn't do like a new year's resolution, but what I wanted to embody through every season this year was to flow and not force things And I got to be honest. I don't think i've necessarily been acting with fidelity to that mantra I do force a lot of things and I constantly push myself and I think it is healthy to push right to, you know, grow. Growing is good. But sometimes if I'm being honest, I overexert myself and try to keep up with the same pace, throughout the entire year and that's unsustainable in summer. I don't work really in the summer. So I have a lot more time. I have energy I want to be outside and like doing all the things, right? The season calls for it. Summer, but fall, fall is an invitation to rest and what I plan on doing this month in November is to embrace nature and get outside. And I know how that sounds and I live in a big city. So hear me out. Getting outside can do wonders, not only for your mental health, but also for your sobriety. I'm not a huge fan of the cold. I mostly grew up in Florida. I don't love the cold. Right now, it feels weird that it's still like 80 degrees in November. So I am like, yes, I do want a chill. But the chill is not cold. Like, fall is fall. I love fall weather. Winter, not so much. But we're not in winter. Right now, we're just focused on fall. We're focused in November. We're locked in. But going back to this idea of embracing nature and, and integrating that into my November self care practice of getting outside I realize how much better I feel when I go on my silly little walks and yes, I really do call my walk silly you should just hear the internal battle I go through when I don't want to go outside and I want to be a hermit and stay indoors. And once again, especially when the weather starts to change and it really gets cold, like, forcing myself to get out the door is always a battle, but nature is just really restorative. So here's my challenge to you get outside at least once a week this November, take a walk, take a 30 minute walk with intention. And when I say with intention. I mean, like you have made a conscious effort to take the time for yourself to embrace the outside to go on your silly little walk, for example, not that you are just walking because you are using it as a means to get to somewhere else, because Also, someone that lives in a big city. I'm walking all the time. I get my 10k steps literally sometimes before 12 p. m hustling and bustling and moving around and commuting is not the same as carving out time for In my day set with intention to go for a walk, whether that be 10 minutes, 20 minutes or 30 minutes, it doesn't matter. Just getting outside is a really great way for you to realign with your mind and your body.

the-sober-butterfly_15_11-01-2024_063158: 16:01

Lastly, let's talk creativity. So my final tip for you this November aligned to self care practices and updating those practices is around embracing some kind of creative project. Starting a new month. is a great time to start a new project. I'm a girl who can't read just one book at one time, but I've started to, or I continue cause I'd started before, but I'm committing myself this month to reading. I'm working my way through The Artist's Way. And if you've not heard of The Artist's Way, I won't go too, too much into it right now because I, Eventually would like to devote a whole episode to it on the podcast, but basically this book has, had a profound impact on people from all walks of life, not just professional artists. It's really recognized as this like transformational book or tool for overcoming creative stagnation or, helping build confidence and reclaiming She calls it like one's artistic identity because I think we're all creative beings, right? We just have different mediums or tools or ways in which we express our creative side. My hope for myself is just, I want to feel more courageous and pursuing some of my creative dreams and why I'm bringing this book up right now in connection to starting a new creative project for November is because I think finding the right medium for you is really important. And what I love about this book is she has like morning pages, which is aligned to journaling. And these morning pages are like a daily practice that can help declutter your brain and remove some of those mental blocks that prevent creativity from flowing. There's also a part in the book where she talks about taking yourself out on artist dates, and this is what I would recommend in connection to finding your own creative outlets this month, and leaning into your creative side. She encourages, and when I say encourages, the author, her name is Julia, Julia Cameron, and she encourages readers to take themselves out on these like artist dates, and that's a solo outing, which I, I'm a big fan of. solo girl. I like to be social, but I also love to take myself out on solo dates. And this is supposed to be alone so that you are able to kind of sit with yourself. And it's supposed to help you spark joy and inspiration and lean into your playful side. And these dates can involve going to museums or going to a bookstore or trying a new hobby. This month, my goal is to start crocheting. I've had the kit for a few months now, just sitting in the original packaging. So I'm going to open the package. I'm going to find a YouTube video and I want to crochet. I feel like the season is like the perfect season. And my goal actually is to give loved ones, each one of the people that I really love. Like love and buy presents for every Christmas. I want to make them something by hand and I probably will also buy them a gift because I don't know how well my crochet career is going to go, but I would love to like knit or crochet, like, you know, a pair of socks or like gloves and give it to Members of my family and my close friends, because I think that's just something so like, endearing and sweet about making something by hand and presenting that to someone. So anyway, that's my goal. I'll, I'll circle back to that. Um, let's see if that actually happens. But going back to this idea of artist dates, take the time to nurture your inner artist. And a great way to do that is to explore new experiences or new ideas. The last thing I'll touch on around this idea of embracing your creative side as a way to practice self care this November is positive self talk and affirmations a way to counteract some of the negative beliefs that we have around maybe our creative abilities and. Affirmations in general serve as a way to reprogram the mind and to foster more of like a, um, positive supportive mindset, which aids with creativity. It's really hard to be creative if you're carrying so much weight and self doubt and limiting belief systems. All of that is sort of like synchronicity, just in alignment to allowing the universe or your higher power or whatever you believe in to respond to your creativity by sending you opportunities and ideas and connections, and if you have been feeling stagnant in life, I would. urge you to seriously embrace your creative side and start a project of some kind

the-sober-butterfly_16_11-01-2024_064135: 21:00

All right, so here's your official challenge for November. I want you to pick one of these tips. Cozy rituals. or embracing the slowdown and getting outside more, or diving into a creative project and commit to this for the rest of the month. You know, today is November 1st. If you're listening in real time, no matter when, or where you pick this episode up, I want you to commit for the month of November to one of those tips. Okay. And please share your progress with me on social media. Tag The Sober Butterfly. Let's inspire each other. To feature some of you on my stories. All my stories in an upcoming episode and maybe just maybe there'll be a fun prize in there for you. I've been itching to do another giveaway. So don't forget to tag me. So to recap, we've got cozy rituals. We've got outdoor adventures and, you know, embracing the slow down and creativity. And all of these are perfect ways to take care of yourself and your sobriety this November. Thank you for everyone who sent in submissions. Keep them coming and remember self care is a powerful way to anchor your sobriety, especially as the holidays approach. Thank you guys for hanging out with me today and I can't wait to hear how you will take on this November self care challenge. Until next time, stay cozy. Stay creative and stay sober. Bye!