Go From Winter Woes To Winter Wellness With These 11 Tips

The holidays have come, they’ve gone, and here you are, sitting down, looking around, wanting to make the most of this millennial new year. Though a noble intention, it doesn’t always prove to be as easy as it sounds. 

Perhaps you don’t quite feel like a new you. Perhaps you don’t feel like yourself at all. The days have begun getting longer but aren’t long enough. Nights are still getting cold and there remains just a minuscule amount of sunlight during the day; making staying at home a persistently attractive option.

We are a very resilient species and often don’t notice that we’ve been feeling unlike ourselves until we’re either prompted to check in with ourselves or we start to feel better again. So take this, right here and now, as a prompt and an opportunity to check in and ask yourself how you’re really doing. What has your mood been like? What are your stress levels like? Is your desire to be active, to socialize, to develop creative and physical skills, and to have fun more, less, or similar to what it usually is? If, as you ask yourself these questions, you find that you fall into the category of 10–20% of people who don’t feel quite like themselves during this time of year and who experience anywhere from mild to severe “winter blues” (women and younger people are particularly susceptible), then you know too well how challenging this time of year can be.

Despite disbelief on the part of acquaintances, friends, or family who do not have a similar experience, it turns out that depressive symptoms can, in fact, be seasonal. Just pick up any of the large pile of studies that demonstrate an association between sunlight and people’s moods, or pick up the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which has stringent criteria regarding sufficient research evidence to substantiate a disorder and of which Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD, which we will use interchangeably with the term “winter blues”) has been a part for over 20 years.

Whether it be sadness, fatigue, irritability, low sex drive, low energy, difficulty concentrating and making decisions, increased appetite, weight gain, and/or a greater desire to be alone, many people begin to notice symptoms as early as September, though the experience tends to peak in January. Now is the perfect time to get a handle on your mental and emotional well-being. What do you say?

Lo and behold the 11 key tips for getting your mood, energy, and brain chemistry back on track so that you can begin the new year with strength, fervor, and action to make this year the best year yet.

1. Do Yoga

We might as well refer to yoga as mind-body magic. It’s been shown, not only to improve bone health, regulate the adrenal glands, strengthen the immune system, and improve respiration, but it’s also been shown to have an array of positive effects when it comes to our mental health, including reductions in stress, anxiety, loneliness, and depression. Take a class at a local yoga studio, try out a class at the local YMCA, or put on a yoga video or do some poses (asanas) on your own at home this winter. As you practice, don’t forget about your breath (pranayama) too– lengthening your exhales can help alleviate anxiety and agitation, and equaling the length of your inhale and exhale can produce more energy. If you’re opting to do some poses at home, throw in a goddess pose and camel pose. The first connects you to your centre of power and allows strength and energy to circulate freely throughout your body, while the latter opens your heart and creates a physical space for vulnerability. Above all, don’t forget to tune in and do what feels best for you. Different poses and different types of breathwork may be beneficial for different people at different times.

2. Make Art

Creating art or consuming the arts has the capacity to provide balance during times of despair. It also strengthens cognitive functions like problem-solving and critical thinking skills and it can reduce symptoms of stress and depression. That’s not all! According to researchers at the University College of London, when you look at art or something of beauty, it instigates a release of dopamine into the orbitofrontal cortex of the brain, activating the same exact pleasure centers of the brain as do intense pleasure, desire, and falling in love. So if you’re sitting at home, feeling “meh” this winter and you want to feel more pleasure, motivation, and love, look no further than your local art gallery or your pencil, paintbrush, or another creative tool of choice.

3. Drink Water

Whether winter, spring, summer, or fall, we can’t feel or operate at our best if our body’s cells are lacking nutrients and oxygen and our body is holding on to toxins and other impurities. 

Enter H2O.

Water supports detoxification, blood circulation, joint lubrication, digestion, and brain function (our brain is, in fact, 75% water). It is also well known that even mild dehydration can influence our vigor, alertness, fatigue, happiness, and ability to stay calm. So if you find yourself ‘down in the dumps’ and unable to be as productive as you like, increase your water intake. It can improve your mood, sharpen your mind, and leave you feeling like yourself again. If you find you’re having trouble getting out of bed in the morning, try keeping a glass of room temperature water right by your bed and drink it as soon as you wake to activate your body’s internal organs and natural healing mechanisms. 

4. Get Sun

Take advantage of all the natural sunlight you can get, and if you can’t get much of it naturally, consider taking vitamin D supplements. Most of us, even those who reside in often sunny locations like Calgary or California, tend to be deficient in vitamin D. Not only does vitamin D help to reduce inflammatory responses, prevent DNA damage that can contribute to cancer, and absorb calcium to keep bones strong, but it can also help prevent Seasonal affective disorder. Research suggests, for example, that as natural light enters through your retina, helping your body to manufacture adequate amounts of vitamin D, it also plays a role in the route of serotonergic reuptake in the brain. Serotonin, if you’re not aware, is the neurotransmitter (or naturally produced chemical in your body that communicates with certain parts of your brain) most notably associated with mood regulation, learning, memory, and sleep. Plus, what’s better than some direct, eye-squinting sunlight on days that don’t have much of it?

5. Go Outdoors

During these cold, dark months, you may certainly be tempted to hibernate like a bear. While the body is naturally inclined to heavier sleep and rest under heavier blankets right now, it’s best if this takes place in addition to– not instead of– time you spend outside. So maybe take a walk in a new part of town, go to the park, or change the scenery somehow else from time to time. Your entire system, by way of all of your senses, will reap immense benefits if you come out from under the blankets and into nature. For example, as you breathe, the negative ions produced by the clean air will increase the flow of oxygen to your brain and have positive effects on your brain’s production of serotonin. As your ears perceive the low-frequency sounds of nature, your nervous system will begin to naturally calm itself. As your feet touch the earth, you will begin to feel grounded, and this will energize your body at the cellular level. Don’t just venture outside once and call it done; if you can, set aside sometime most days to get outside. With time, nature heals all wounds.

6. Take up some healthy eating habits

Did you know that 70% of your dopamine and serotonin are created in your gut? 

When you consider this link between your gut and the neurotransmitters in your brain, the correlation between your food and your mood is a no-brainer. Eating a balanced diet full of quality, whole foods and devoid of sugar and processed foods is incredibly important to keep your gut flora healthy and your body and mind happy all year and especially this time of year. So why not find some warm, healthy soup or stew recipes to try this winter? Consider also adding some natural serotonin-boosting foods to your meals. Bananas, pineapples, nuts, seeds, fermented foods (vegetable probiotics), bright colourful vegetables, vegetable oils, and superfoods like cacao and macha are known to be rich in vitamins and minerals that stimulate the production of serotonin in the brain.

7. Move!

The body was made to move, and when we move it, we instantaneously feel better. As the Somatopsychic Principle (Mens sana in corpore sano) states, what we experience physically and what we experience emotionally are intimately connected. Or as lifestyle wellness experts like to say– you are always just one workout away from a good mood! 

When it comes to exercise, it doesn’t stop at just feeling good in the moment of being physically active. Exercise has the ability to increase the experience of positive emotions, flow, and life purpose along with enhancing self-esteem, self-efficacy, body image, cognitive functioning, and overall well-being. It’s a two-for-one benefit, really: As you build physical strength, you simultaneously build psychological and emotional strength.

Best of all, you don’t need to run a ½ marathon or even a 5K to reap the benefits. For some, a short walk is enough. For others, 15 to 30 minutes of dancing does it. For others, 45 to 60 minutes of weight training is the sweet spot. For others, still, a high-intensity cardio workout on the elliptical, track, or basketball court does the trick. There are lots of indoor options for movement, and there’s sure to be at least one or two that are just right for you.

8. Try a lightbox

If a reduced number of daylight hours is the culprit of winter blues, then a lightbox (aka a sun lamp)– intended to mimic natural light– is the solution. Lightboxes come in many shapes and sizes and you can find one to easily place on your desk among your other office decor, one sized especially for easy travel, one positioned on a floor stand to be used during exercise, or one of many more flexible options. If you’ve never tried a lightbox, you may very well find unexpected relief with one, especially if you need to be indoors all day for work and are unable to get much natural light exposure otherwise. Not all light boxes are created equal so if you’re going to get one, be sure it provides exposure to 10,000 lux of light (the power rating shown by research to have an effect on reducing symptoms associated with “winter blues”) within the recommended distance from the eyes (usually 1 ½ to 2 feet).

9. Develop and stick to a schedule

Never has a schedule been more important than during the winter months. We all know that without a schedule, plans can easily be derailed and our best intentions may never turn into actions. We may even have grand plans to wake up, use our lightbox for 30 minutes, and take a 30-minute walk before work only to throw these plans out the window the moment we wake up with only 20 minutes left to get ready. The antidote? A schedule that contains your sleep and wake times, and your planned time to get sunlight every day, among other things. A schedule that reinforces waking up and going to sleep at the same time each day can ensure that you consistently get plenty of sleep (which our bodies naturally want more of in the winter), and if you include time outside in that schedule, can ensure that you get your daily dose of vitamin D, even in the winter months. Temptations to sleep in until the afternoon, go to bed at 4:30 pm, and/or stay in and not socialize day after day can also be thwarted by a well-thought-out schedule.

10. Take time to honor your feelings and process your emotions

Honour the existence of your sadness, fatigue, low libido, or whatever other symptom is keeping you from feeling like yourself. Why would you do that? Well, the weight of our pain can only be released once its existence has been acknowledged and its message has been honoured. When you begin to acknowledge your feelings, no matter what they are, and you start to have compassion for parts of you that aren’t feeling great and that may need some extra love, something fascinating happens. Your “less-than-positive” aspects that you may criticize or judge yourself for become interesting. Your feelings become the wise messengers they were always meant to be. Your struggle becomes an opportunity to learn about and meet your own needs. Your life is an unfolding leading you to become more whole, more integrated, more yourself.

So don’t minimize the feelings that this time of year comes with. Instead, acknowledge and honour the message (e.g., of the uncontrollable nature of life, the inescapable nature of pain, the freedom you have to bring meaning to the events of your life,the choices you have when it comes to the circumstances of your life, and so on) that they may be bringing you. Be gentle with yourself. Work to release any blame you might have of yourself for being in a winter slump, let yourself know that it’s okay if you aren’t feeling warm and joyful, and wholeheartedly ask yourself “What do I need right now?”, thereby creating an opportunity to practice one of the most important life skills of all: discovering and giving yourself what you need at any given moment.

11. Reach out

It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s lonely, and you may be tempted to withdraw from your family and friends even more. However, just as you find yourself wanting to be alone, at home, in bed, the absolute best thing you can do is reach out. Now, that’s not to say that some intentional, self care-inspired rest time isn’t beneficial– it is! But it’s when you feel that “winter blues”-inspired kind of slump setting in that you know it’s time to reach out. Reach out to that friend who lives not too far away and ask if they want to go see that movie that just came out, or come over and watch one with you at your place. Call that friend you’ve known forever and catch up on life. Call your sister, brother, cousin, or other close relative and just “shoot the sh*t” as you so often do. 

No matter how brief, social connection is essential for lifting your spirits this winter. Remember too that it’s the quality– not quantity– of our social relationships that matters most (more on that here). So when you reach out, be sure you’re reaching out to people who are important to you and around whom you feel safe and accepted for who you are. When you gather, be sure you’re gathering with people with big hearts and open arms. The cold is temporary, the dark is temporary, but true connections are forever.

The fact of the matter is, the "winter blues" are a real thing. Seasonal affective disorder is legitimate. Exercise, healthy nutrition, sufficient sleep, water, and sunshine, mental and emotional health management, creativity, and social support are also very real and very legitimate. So, if we want to prevent or get out of a winter funk, we can’t ignore these things. This is precisely where our opportunity for positive change lies.