The winter season has once again arrived and you’re feeling a lot like it – cold and grey. The motivation and energy you just had keeps waning. Short days and chilly nights have left you feeling weary. You have the winter blues. But, you can beat it!
Before we get into the best ways to beat the winter blues, let’s talk about what exactly the winter blues are. It’s a surprisingly common phenomenon that many people experience during the winter months. Something about the colder weather and reduced daylight hours leads to a sense of melancholy.
The difference between the winter blues and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is about severity. With the winter blues it’s mild feelings It’s just the intensity of the feelings. You feel less motivated and energized. SAD is when the winter blues have progressed from you not just being down, but actually feeling depressed.
NOTE: If you are experiencing severe mental and emotional symptoms, please seek professional help. I am not any sort of expert, I’m just speaking from my own experiences!
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Keep active
Keep your body moving. Physical activity will actually help increase your dwindling energy levels. It will also help strengthen your immune system against those nasty winter colds and flu.
Depending on where in the world you live, you may need to really bundle up before you venture outdoors. Use your best judgement and try not to get out into adverse weather. If you can’t go outside, turn up the volume on your favorite music and have a dance party indoors!
Get sun
When you can, go for walks outside and soak up as much natural daylight as you can, since the days are getting shorter and darker. I know it’s cold, but one of the best ways to beat the winter blues is by getting outside. The sun is further away from the earth during winter so we need to absorb all the sunlight we can. So bundle up in your warmest clothes and take a walk outside. Getting in some sunlight during the day can also help regulate your circadian rhythm.
The lack of sunlight affects your circadian rhythm, melatonin and vitamin D levels. If going outside is not really an option for you and you’re struggling, you may want to consider something like light therapy. There are so many accessible options for that these days.
Make plans
Instead of focusing on the dark days you’re currently going through, look forward to the brighter, warmer days. Make plans for when the weather finally gets warm again.
Studies have shown that sometimes the anticipation of an event can make you just as happy, if not happier, than the event itself. It’s always good to have something to look forward to. Having something upcoming can help improve your mood and overall outlook.
News Fast
It’s one thing to stay informed but you have got to stop constantly watching the news. While you don’t want to be unaware of the world around you, it can be difficult not to internalize negative stories. Watching too much news is actually bad for your mental health during any season.
We are living in a non-stop news cycle where they are pushing the stories that are going to impact us the strongest. It’s not your job to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. It’s too much for any one person and there’s nothing wrong with staying in your own bubble for the sake of your mental health.
I like to think of it like playing an ostrich. Ostriches actually don’t stick their heads under the ground, they just lower their heads towards the ground to become less of a target. So just put your head down and stop constantly consuming the news.
Get creative
Get creative, try new things. The cold weather is a great opportunity (or excuse) to try some new indoor hobbies. Some great indoor hobbies include, but are not limited to, reading, darts, knitting, cooking, woodworking, puzzles, painting, and music.
You can also try to find ways to bring the hobbies you normally do outside to the inside. Normally do outdoor photography? Try doing some photo setups in your living room.
Connect
Winter is not the time to distance yourself from others. Nurture your social connections with family or friends. As humans, we are social beings and we need connection with others.
The winter blues can often instill feelings of loneliness, to fight against that you need to reach out. Share your thoughts and feelings with someone you trust.
Take Care
One of the best ways to beat the winter blues is just by being good to yourself. Self-care is always important, no matter the season. But if you’re already feeling the blues, you should be practicing some extra self-care right now.
The type of self-care activities you do can differ from season to season, which is why I already have some winter specific self-care ideas ready to inspire you.
Give Back
Volunteering, or just committing acts of kindness, can provide you with a great sense of fulfillment. It can also be a way to combat social isolation and connect with others you might not normally interact with. Of course, you’re also helping those in need which can have a real, positive impact on the lives of people who may also be struggling.
When you focus on helping others, it can shift your perspective from focusing on the negative challenges to focusing on the positive opportunities. Sometimes emotional warmth is the perfect remedy to the winter blues.
Embrace Cozy
One of the best things about the cooler weather is getting cozy, comfy and content. Embrace these aspects of winter and create an atmosphere of warmth and comfort. Take advantage of it getting darker earlier and make it cozy with candles or twinkle lights. You may even want to take a page from the book of Hygge.
Hygge is a Danish word / concept with no direct translation to English, but it means a cozy time where you take pleasure from small moments. This is often spent with people you love and without any frustrations or stress. It’s more than just being comfy though, it’s being present in the moment.
One of the best ways to beat the winter blues is to simply just stay in the current moment. By savoring those small moments you make them special and create a feeling of contentment that can brighten even the darkest winter days.
As the seasons change, you should now have a toolkit of strategies including some of the best ways to beat the winter blues. By using these techniques, you can emerge from winter even more resilient than you entered it.
Even as the days get darker, you have the power to light up your life and tend to your personal wellbeing. To keep up with more helpful posts like this, go ahead and enter your e-mail address below and subscribe to the newsletter ⬎
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