This Healthy Recipe App Was The Summer Reset I Needed

1. Get outside for at least 20 minutes everyday.

My seasonal depression is definitely perpetuated by my work setup – I work remotely full-time, which means a big chunk of my days are spent inside in isolation.

Knowing that being in nature can soothe the tension caused by not only locking in on work tasks for hours at a time, but sitting in the same place for just as long, I’ve been prioritizing getting outside for at least 20 minutes a day. Even just sipping in a breath of fresh air can provide a nice restart to a not-so-great day.

Whether it’s going for a walk, coffee run, or to let your dog out, getting outside for a change of scenery can absolutely improve your mental health.

2. Engage in exercise that feels good.

I’m lucky to have found a combination of workouts that feel good to my body and mind. Climbing, hot yoga, and outdoor walks have truly kept me sane this far in the season!

Exercising (of any kind) releases dopamine and serotonin, which arecommonly linked to treating depression. It can also improve neuroplasticity, learning, and memory in the long-term, which, to me, sounds like a win-win for everyone.

The key for committing to an exercise routine in the depths of seasonal depression (and beyond) is only engaging in workouts that bring you joy – exercise should not serve as punishment, nor does it have to be painful.

3. Delete social media when I know it’s impacting my mental health.

This one is huge. I could talk for hours – heck, even days – about how hurtful social media can be for my mental health. To make a long story short, social media (Instagram in particular) degrades my attention span, sense of reality, and self-confidence.

There was a period of time where I had screen time limits on apps like Instagram and TikTok, but I would override them 99% of the time. Now, I'm making an actual conscious effort to delete the apps off my phone entirely when I feel the doomscrolling has gone too far. It’s helped so much: I don’t feel a constant sense of FOMO (which is a massive challenge when 69% of adults use social media), pressure to buy unnecessary things, or distracted from the present moment.

Of course, I’ll still download the apps every once in a while to check in – there’s a delicate balance between wanting to feel simultaneously connected and disconnected – but the biggest part of this is maintaining the boundaries I set for myself.

If you feel like deleting social media apps cold-turkey isn’t quite the step you need to take at the moment, I suggest making use of screen time limits and sticking to them, so you can live and be present in your (real) life!

4. Prioritize seeing my friends in person.

As I mentioned, working from home is quite isolating. I know many of my friends feel isolated this time of year, even if they work in-person jobs. I don't have any family members that live very close to me, so my besties have truly become my chosen family.

Speaking from experience, having a friend group (or even just a golden best friend) to turn to in those quiet moments after the workday is the ultimate cure for loneliness, boredom, and depression. In fact,studies like this onehave shown that a positive sense of community is associated with reduced reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.

So, gather your pals for a movie, craft night, potluck, or even just time to rot on the couch together. A lot of times, your friends may be feeling the exact same way you are.

5. Cook nourishing and rewarding meals.

Winter time is comfort👏 food👏 central👏, so there’s no excuse to not whip up a delectable soup or casserole fit for the season. Seasonal depression most certainly takes a toll on my executive function, though, so finding (or rather, making) the time and motivation to cook something for myself can be rough. Don’t even get me started on going to the grocery store.

That’s why I like to turn to recipes that yield big ol’ batches of food, so I can eat on leftovers for a week or so rather than cook something new every single day. Bonus points if the dish is healthy! Maybe the meal preppers are onto something…

You can find tons of delicious, easy, healthy, meal prep-friendly recipes here!

6. Be cognizant of my water intake.

As important as eating healthy is, it doesn’t mean much if you’re not hydrated. Drinking adequate amounts of water every day simply sets me right – I notice I have so much more energy than the days my water bottle’s not tied to my hip.

Experts recommend that women drink roughly 11 cups of water daily in order to benefit the body, from your immune system to your mood. I’ve been making the ritual even more enjoyable with a fun water bottle, customized with stickers and all.

7. Journal regularly.

Journaling can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and hostility, as well as encourage self-awareness and resilience against the daily grind, which is why I aim to commit a tiny slice of my day to writing (or drawing). Even if there’s nothing “bad” or dramatic going on in my life, journaling about the mundane is super helpful in simply getting to know myself.

To incorporate journaling into your routine, I suggest writing right before bed, right before you wake up, or on a quick break during the day. Even just 5 minutes alone with your thoughts and your pen can transform your mindset.

You can find some really helpful journal prompts for improving your mental health here!

8. Go to therapy regularly.

Seeing a therapist on a regular basis has been a huge game-changer for me. When I started to go several years ago, I denounced therapy as a whole, but I started to really love it after a few months worth of sessions.

A good therapist can help you manage depression, stress, anxiety, and other mental health struggles, plus provide effective methods for self regulation, self awareness, communication, problem solving, and a whole lot more.

I’ve found my favorite part about therapy is having a third party to talk to about certain situations in my life – it’s been super beneficial when I want to talk through things I can’t (or don't necessarily want to) tell my close friends or family. Seeing a therapist regularly also helps me keep myself in check in terms of life, mental health, physical health, work, creative goals, and more.

Opt for canned beer

This was one of my earliest discoveries in the world of fake drinking. No one can see your drink when it's in a can. You might read that and think, yeah so? Well, take that can with you to the other can, and dump it out in the sink. Fill it up with water and no one will be the wiser. In fact, they'll think — wow, she's really blasting through those Coors Lights. Pro tip: Be sure to wipe any water drips off the can before you leave the bathroom, and rinse the sink so there's no errant beer foam floating around.

If you have to order a real drink, choose a clear cocktail. This is the classic move. You creep over to the bar when no one else is around, and order a club soda with lime. Think of it as a mocktail. Be sure to ask the bartender to serve it to you in a cocktail glass — a giant water glass or plastic cup is a dead giveaway.

If it's impossible to get alone time at the bar, order a vodka soda (or gin and tonic). Then take it to the bathroom, dump out the liquid (use a straw to keep the ice and any garnishes in the cup), then fill it with water instead. Complain about the soda or tonic being flat if anyone questions your drink's lack of tiny bubbles.

Make friends with bartenders. At first, bartenders give you a bit of side-eye when you ask for a club soda in a cocktail glass. They won't ask you what the deal is, but you can let them assume what they like — especially when you order that second or third club soda in a cocktailglass.

If you're feeling cavalier, and you and the bartender have really hit your stride, you can even say, “I'll take anything non-alcoholic that looks like a cocktail." I actually made SUCH good friends with a bartender at a wedding where I was fake drinking that every time I came over to the bar, he immediately winked at me and gave me “my regular." My friends guffawed at the fact that I was already friends with the bartender. Pro.

Allude to a possible tannin allergy. Wine is the toughest thing to fake, so don't even try. Tell your friends about how, out of nowhere, you've started to get headaches immediately after drinking a glass of wine. When they're like, “Is it just when you drink red?" reply with a frustrated sigh, “No, both red and white make me feel crappy — maybe it's a tannin thing?" Then get your faux canned beer or clear mocktail, and call it a day.

Ginger ale is a GREAT substitute for Champagne. Ginger ale looks like Champagne, it smells kind of like Champagne, and if your friends are tipsy enough and take a sip, they'll actually believe that it IS Champagne. Don't overdo this one though — too much sugary soda is not a good thing for you and your secret babe!

Pretend to be getting over a cold (so no one asks for a sip). After all, it's sick season! [Insert fake coughs here]

Always be the one to order or serve a round of shots. Shots are one of the toughest things to fake. Like, really difficult. And you might be thinking, who still takes shots anyway? Well, the answer is: I do. Or rather, I did. It would have been impossible to be at my two besties' bachelorette party without at least one round of shots. So what's a preggo to do? Serve 'em up, of course.

Because shots are best served as a surprise to inspire a second wind in any given party, you can creep into the kitchen to set things up. Pour all but one, and fill that one with a substitute. Ideally, it looks like what you're serving, and if that's not possible, make 3-5 of them vodka shots including yours, which is actually… water! If ordering shots at a bar, you're probably already friends with the bartender, so just ask him to make yours a fake one and to put a napkin or coaster under it on the tray that comes out.

Keep a drink in your hand at all times. This is an obvious one, but it's worth mentioning. If you don't have a drink on hand, someone will either hand you one or give you a hard time for not drinking. DO NOT give them that opportunity ;)

Never leave your drink unattended. Hopefully, you already have this rule in your wheelhouse from your college days. In this case, the key here is avoiding two things: friendly refills and someone accidentally picking up your drink and finding out it's phony.

Avoid being the first one to hit the hay. If you've already been squirreling around on the beverage front, the next clear sign that you might be secretly pregnant is when you're the first one to go to bed. So don't do that. Don't go to bed. Ever! Okay, at some point you'll need to go to bed because you need a TON of sleep in your first trimester, but avoid being the first party pooper at all costs.

And don't use getting up early “for a run" or “to do some work" as an excuse for going to bed — friends that know you will see right through that.

2014

Apparently Jason and Kylie Kelce were one of the lucky few who found true love on Tinder because that's how their relationship began (via PEOPLE). The news was shared in the documentary Kelce on Amazon Prime and featured Kylie saying, "Jason won't let me lie about this. We met on Tinder."

Funny enough, she didn't know Jason was a football player until she and her friends said, "Hold my mule" so they could do some deep diving about his background. It didn't take long for the dots to connect even though Kylie didn't want to believe what she was seeing. "It can't be him; it's a catfish."

When they finally met up for the first date, Jason remembers falling for her instantly. "Right away when she walks in the door, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." However, he revealed a date fail occurred on his part during an episode of New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce. He said he "definitely fell asleep" because he "got a little too inebriated."

Luckily, Kylie didn't think he was a complete loser for turning their first date into a snooze fest.

November 2015

The following year, Kylie shared a cute black and white photo of the couple with the caption, "Thank goodness you swiped right too."

August 2017

The couple continued to date until Jason decided it was time to put a ring on Kylie's finger. She shared another pic of them standing together on Instagram August 7, 2017 where it was clear she was wearing an engagement ring. She wrote, "I'm the luckiest girl in the world 😍." A quick scroll through the comments shows plenty of congratulatory comments which we love to see!

Last year, Jason admitted the way he proposed wasn't something out of a fairytale on his and Travis' New Heights podcast. Not wanting to ruin his plan to surprise her with a proposal, Jason came up with an odd reason to walk back into her parents' house to ask for their permission.

"I couldn’t figure out how to inconspicuously go back into the house…So when we got in the car I said ‘Ky, I’m sorry, I have to take a s–t right now,'" he remembered saying. However, he made her suspicious because his poop sessions don't happen that quickly. She said, "And then he said, ‘This is not the most romantic way to do this, but can you get out of the truck?’ So sweet."

February 2018

When the Eagles beat the New England Patriots in 2018's Super Bowl game, Kylie was there to support her fiancé Jason Kelce (via Page Six). She posted a celebratory photo of them standing on the football field and it was clear they were both ecstatic about the victory.

April 2018

According to this photo, Jason & Kylie Kelce got married April 15, 2018. A year later, she posted a few more BTS photos of their big day and it was clear they had a gorgeous outdoor wedding. She wore a pretty A-line dress and chic veil while looked handsome in a tailored suit.

October 2019

In 2019, they welcomed their first daughter, Wyatt Elizabeth Kelce October 2, 2019. Jason posted a cute picture of Kylie holding baby Wyatt and wrote, "Chunked up the Deuces on her way out," as part of his caption.

March 2021

Their middle daughter Eliotte Ray Kelce was born a couple of years later in 2021. Kylie posted the sweetest photo of her on Instagram, making sure to note, "Elliotte Ray Kelce has arrived. 🥰 🎀" Little one had the chubbiest cheeks that we're sure Jason & Kylie couldn't stop kissing.

February 2023

And just last year, their third daughter arrived before spring! Kylie also posted her cute baby face on Instagram with the caption, "Yesterday little lady #3 joined us. Bennett Llewellyn Kelce. 8lbs. 5oz. and 21inches long."

March 2024

Earlier this year, Jason Kelce decided to retire from the NFL and had the loving support of Kylie (via Page Six). He'd spent 13 years playing for the Eagles so, naturally, it was an emotional time for the former athlete. First his thanked his younger brother Travis by saying, "There is no chance I would be here without the bond Travis and I share...We did almost everything together — competed, fought, laughed, cried and learned from each other. We invented games, imagine ourselves as star players of that time."

He apparently took the moment after that to reminisce about the funny first date he had with Kylie and how it's led to the family they have now.

November 2024

All of that has led to this moment: Jason and Kylie Kelce's family is growing! Kylie announced that she's pregnant, and they're expecting baby no. 4 and couldn't be more thrilled to add a sixth member to their household! We can't wait to learn more news about the new "little lady" that'll be joining them!