Tips for Beating the Winter Blues
The dreaded ‘fall back’ is upon us, and if you’re like me you’re not looking forward to shorter days, darker nights, colder, wetter, drearier months…
As the end of Daylight Savings comes into effect, these circumstances compound and leave us with a hard hitting case of the Winter Blues. During the colder and darker months our levels of melatonin and serotonin drop, which can cause us to feel out of sorts, not ourselves. Common symptoms include: feeling tired, lethargic, low energy, lack of motivation to go out or do much, mood swings, irritability, or even a sense of depression.
While we can’t control the weather or the seasons, we can control how we take care of ourselves throughout the coming months so that we feel more energized, motivated and strong come springtime.
Some simple ways to ward off the Winter Blues…
1. Supplement with vitamin D3
Four out of 10 North Americans are deficient in Vitamin D, and it’s a really supportive vitamin to be supplementing during the darker months. Vitamin D supports healthy hormones, prevents illness and promotes an overall sense of wellbeing. If you don’t already have a supplement routine, be sure to consult your healthcare practitioner before you start.
2. Don’t fight it - rest!
An important part of these wintery months is hibernation. While we can’t sleep for months on end, we can do things like going to bed earlier, lighting a cozy fire, taking a mental health day from work, spending time indoors reading a good book or binging a new Netflix series, and saying no to things that we simply don’t want to do.
3. Eat warming foods
Soups, stews, chilis and crockpot dishes are so comforting during the colder weather. Warming foods are said to boost energy, improve circulation, and dispel cold within our bodies. We also tend to eat warmer foods slower, which means we’ll be digesting our food that much more optimally.
4. Get outside as often as possible
Getting outside, even for 10-15 minutes, improves our mood and physical health, reduces stress and increases self-esteem. As an added benefit you expose your body to vitamin D, which we already know will help us through the winter months.
5. Laugh!
A really simple way to bring a little bit of light into the darker days is laughter. Whether you’re watching a comedy special or funny movie, humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. When we laugh we trigger the release of endorphins, not to mention that laughing with others is a great bonding activity.
6. Have sex
Colder weather means more opportunities for snuggling, and a few health benefits of “snuggling” include a better immune system, decreased depression and anxiety, better sleep, overall stress reduction, and increased closeness with a partner.
7. Move every day
Find an activity you love and work up a sweat! Whether it’s walking or running, jazzercise, weight lifting, Pilates or dance, moving our bodies and getting sweaty helps to combat the winter blues and the oppressive feelings that can come with the darker months.
8. Revamp your winter wardrobe
Finding clothes that make you feel good may seem trivial, but when we’re dressed in the same frumpy clothes all winter long we’ll start to feel frumpy. Get some cozy sweaters, cute toques, fun scarves, whatever makes you feel good!
9. Take a sunny vacation
And if all else fails, book yourself a sunny vacation to look forward to. Now that things are starting to open up again, maybe it’s in your budget to take a trip. If that’s the case, book it! Look forward to some time in the sunshine!
A few bonus activities that I like to incorporate into my routine more heavily during these months include diffusing uplifting essential oils, having a goal or project to work on inside my house, and scheduling regular girls nights and family dinners so we are spending time together. I may or may not start listening to Christmas music sooner rather than later too. But don’t tell my family that.
If you’re looking for a project to help get you through the winter months and working on yourself feels like a good idea, you can always partner with a Health Coach like me to guide you through!