Coping with the Winter Blues

Coping With the Winter Blues

Resources: Mental Health, Wellbeing, Self-care, Mindfulness, Youth Talk, For Myself, For Family / Whānau

How to cope with the winter blues and look after your mental and physical wellbeing during the colder months.

It's that time of the year again where it is freezing cold, and the weather can impact our moods. It can also impact us behaviourally by making many of us avoid going out in cold and rainy weather, often preventing us from being productive. Winter blues are a common occurrence for many people every year. During wintertime, it seems ideal to stay in and watch a movie and sit in front of a fire.

It is important to differentiate winter blues from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a form of depression that people experience at a particular time of year during a particular season, often starting in the autumn and continuing into winter.

The following are some tips to follow to help boost your mood during Winter by Working Wise:

Keep active - make sure to move your body around. This can be hard in winter but even doing some exercise at home or following a YouTube workout can be very helpful. You also get the added endorphins which naturally boost your mood.
Go outside and get some fresh air and natural sunlight; even just a short walk can achieve both and can reduce symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.

Eat a wide variety of foods, if possible, to get a balanced intake of nutrients to support your body.
Leave time to unwind at the end of the day. Do things that make you feel de-stressed. This can be reading a book, watching television or having a bath and doing some self-care.
Lastly, reach out to others when you are feeling low. Connection and support can help one feel better, and it is beneficial just talking to others about how you are feeling, even if it means all they need to do is listen.

Winter blues can also involve lack of motivation and a disruption in sleep schedule as well as sadness. Verywellmind.com has a list of self-care suggestions that can decrease the winter blues. For example, try and decrease screen time. This is a common thing to do in Winter, but extended periods of screen time can perpetuate low mood. Maintaining a sleep routine is crucial, as it ensures your body gets the proper rest it needs during times when it's easy to lose track.

Personally, I find that this time of year it can be very easy to want to stay indoors, socialize less, and spend time in my bedroom watching Netflix. This increases my low mood because I end up isolating myself. I often forget the joy of spending time with others and the positive mood it brings. I recommend dedicating time to connect with others occasionally, as it can help lessen the winter blues, even if it means watching a movie with a flatmate rather than on your own.

Effects of winter blues can be lessened through small steps that can be taken every day. I hope this advice can help others, as doing this research has certainly given me some ideas I can use to make this time of the year seem a little less cold.

This post has been written by Jess, our Community Education intern, who is a 22-year-old psychology student. The article was originally written for the Youth Talk Blog, a section dedicated to youth lived experiences with mental health and wellbeing, with blog posts from diverse young people’s perspectives. This is a positive, fun and resourceful space, showcasing young people thriving and connecting with healthful activities, resources and support.

Resources and further readings:

https://workingwise.nz/top-tips-for-battling-the-winter-blues/

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-beat-the-winter-blues-5087998

https://www.bbrfoundation.org/blog/winter-blues-or-seasonal-affective-disorder

https://www.bepure.co.nz/blogs/news/beating-winter-blues

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