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How to Beat the Winter Blues - Article by Sara Lindberg, M.Ed (shortened)

If colder weather and shorter days cause you to feel the winter blues, you’re not alone. It’s not uncommon to experience fatigue, sadness, difficulty concentrating, and a disruption in your sleep schedule during the winter season. For some, this mood change is temporary and easily managed with lifestyle modifications. But for others, the winter blues can turn into a more severe type of depression called seasonal affective disorder or SAD. The good news? There are things you can do to beat the winter blues.

Winter Blues vs. Seasonal Affective Disorder

Winter Blues

• Sadness during the fall and winter months
• Some trouble sleeping
• Lack of motivation

SAD

• Severe sadness during the fall and winter months
• Frequent sleep and eating issues
• Depression that limits normal functioning and motivation

Tips to Help Beat the Winter Blues

Take a Break from the News

Being indoors more often means an increase in screen time. And if this time is spent consuming a non-stop news cycle, you may feel an increase in the winter blues.

Boost Your Mood with Food

A simple change to boost your mood is to consider the food you eat. Consuming protein with breakfast, lunch, and dinner can enhance mood and prevent sugar and carb cravings later in the day. Also, including foods high in vitamin D such as fatty fish, fish oil, and vitamin D fortified foods like milk, orange juice, breakfast cereal, yogurt, and other food sources can help balance mood.

Keep Up Your Sleep Routine

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
• Follow a simple bedtime routine that signals rest, such as taking a bath, turning down the lights, or drinking a cup of herbal tea.
• Expose yourself to light as soon as you wake up.
• Sleep in a cool, dark room.
• Don’t use electronics in your bedroom.
• Write all of your worry thoughts on a piece of paper before bed so that if you wake up in the night, you can tell your mind you don't need to worry because the thoughts are captured on paper and will be waiting for you to tackle in the morning.

Do Some Physical Activity

Physical activity has been shown to boost mood, decrease the symptoms of depression, and reduce stress. Start slowly and build up to 30 to 60 minutes a day, five days a week, of aerobic exercise, strength training, yoga, or other fitness-related activities. Getting outside daily, even for a few minutes a day, can make a huge impact on your mood and help target the specific symptoms of SAD related to a lack of daylight.

Try the 10x10x10 Plan

It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed, lethargic, and unmotivated to exercise when feeling depressed. So, instead of committing to one longer workout, break the time up into chunks. For example, if your goal is to walk 30 minutes a day, divide the time into three mini-workouts of 10 minutes each. Take one walk in the morning, another in the early afternoon, and one before it gets dark.

To view the full article, visit https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-beat-the-winter-blues-5087998.