The winter months often bring a sense of dread for many when it comes to maintaining their mental health. It’s a time when leaving home or engaging in meaningful activities can become challenging. Energy levels may drop as the darkness of the evening settles in.
However, truly embracing the season and reprioritizing certain aspects of our lives can help bring a sense of joy back.
Here are some effective tips to help you fight the winter blues:
Prioritize Rest
The winter is a time for rest and relaxation when looked at through a biological lens. The colder weather naturally decreases the body’s temperature which signals it is ready to sleep. The increase in darkness during winter also encourages rest. When the sun goes down and it gets dark, the body naturally begins to produce melatonin which helps make the body and brain feel tired.
While you might think to yourself that your sense of fatigue in the winter is due to a lack of motivation, it might be due to the body reacting to natural sleep cues. Take time to embrace the act of relaxing during the cold, dark months.
Get Outside
For many, the idea of getting outside on a negative degree day is the last thing we’d want to do. Yet, the benefits of the outdoors stay as true in the winter as they do in the warmer months. Being out in the sun increases exposure to Vitamin D which not only can help with physical health but also has been shown to increase endorphins which helps decrease feelings of depression and anxiety.
Taking time to be outside also changes your environment, which can be used as a mindfulness activity. What sounds do you hear outdoors? How does the cold wind feel on your face? What does the fresh air smell like? What do you see around you? Embrace the present moment and notice what it is like around you, and within you. Maybe you take it one step further and engage in light physical activity outdoors, like a walk, to increase endorphin production to improve stress levels.
Embrace Hobbies
Winter can be a time when there is less pressure to be engaged in a multitude of responsibilities, pulling you in every direction. With this decrease in social obligations, take a moment to reflect on how you truly enjoy using your time. Is there something you’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to? How about an activity you love but that got put on the back burner?
Engaging with hobbies – learning a new language, baking, boxing class, volunteering – helps increase creativity, cognitive stimulation, and a sense of self-expression, all of which have been shown to help mental health.
Continue Connections
It can be difficult to stay connected to others during the winter when people are less likely to engage in activities outside of the home. Think of ways how to transition activities from warm to cold months so that your sense of relationship does not falter. Maybe your outdoor walks with a friend turn into indoor gym sessions, a coffee shop catch-up becomes a cozy movie night or a thrifting adventure shifts to a craft time.
Changing the environment of your connection points, instead of halting them altogether, helps maintain a sense of community and support. Being around those you love increases your ability to manage anxiety, depression, and physical illness. Even a simple call to a friend or family member can help increase your sense of connection and make an impactful change to your mental health!
Feeling down in the winter is common, but by making a few small changes daily, weekly, or monthly, you can help your body and brain feel more like itself. Increase those endorphins, keep up those relationships, and give yourself grace as you embrace the slow nature of the winter.
If you are struggling and would like to see how therapy could help, feel free to reach out to DK Therapy to schedule an appointment with our office.
