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Ten Tips On How To Overcome The Winter Blues

Snow out in the country.

Cold temperatures and dark, dreary days for months at a time can kick even the most positive person into a wintry slump.❄️

Lack of sunlight and shorter days. It disrupts our circadian rhythm (internal body clock).

The struggle is real.😳

Young guy, sleeping on the steering wheel of his pickup during the day.

You’re tired during the day.

You’re moody.

You have no motivation.

You just want to stay home under a warm blanket and veg.

The winter blues usually starts in October and ends in the spring when the snow is gone.

Some people, though, have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which causes severe symptoms such as depression. 😔

A physician will have to do a thorough evaluation first before diagnosing the patient with SAD. The reason being, there can be another mental health condition that can cause similar symptoms.

Once a person is diagnosed with SAD, her doctor will recommend light therapy and maybe even an antidepressant. It all depends on how severe the symptoms are.

If you think you might have Seasonal Affective Disorder, you might want to consult your physician about it.

Here are 10 tips on how to overcome the winter blues.

Pretty long haired girl with reddish brown hair, is outside in the snow. She has black gloves on and a blue checkered coat with a fur lined hood over her head. She's cupping her hands in front of her face and blowing snow out of them.

1.) Get Your Butt Outside

Yeah, I know. Some days it’s just too damn cold to be outside.

When the snot freezes in your nose or the tears in your eyes. It’s fucking cold.

Those are the days you need to stay hunkered inside, but the days when you can go outside, you need to do so.

Put your thermal underwear on, coveralls, heavy jacket, wool socks, whatever will keep you warm outside in the cold.

Take a walk and get your body moving.

It makes a huge difference.

Winter landscape. Sunset.

Be out in nature. 

We get outside as much as we can, even during the winter.

We’ll walk three miles, and it truly changes your mood.

2.) Eat Healthy

If you have a shitty diet, guess what? You’re going to feel like shit.

It’s bad enough it’s cold outside, the sun is scarce and evening is now the new nighttime. Add to it, eating food and drinking surgery beverages that’s not good for the body, and the results equals a cranky, lack of motivation, sluggish human being.

A salad that shows cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and hard boiled eggs.

Eating a healthy diet makes a huge impact on how you feel, mentally and physically.

You don’t have to be a Nazi about it.

Cheese burger and fries on a cream colored plate.

You can have that cheeseburger and fries, but not every day.

For the most part, stay away from preservatives and fried foods.

Foods that’ll help your mood are: nuts, fish, whole grains, fruit, vegetables, dark chocolate (1.4 ounces of it), green tea, yogurt and other probiotics, dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, collards), eggs, avocado, lentils,

3.) Vitamin D

Take vitamin D. The body needs it, and during the winter months when the sun is on its sabbatical, our vitamin D levels plummet.

Not good.

We need it to feel better and stay in a positive mood.

4.) Meditation

I know. I know. I keep preaching about how great meditation is, but that’s because it is.

Seriously.

Try to meditate twenty minutes every day at least five days a week.

If you follow through and make it part of your daily routine, you’ll notice a difference in how you feel and how much more control you’ll have over your thoughts and mood.

I meditate in the morning before I drink my coffee. It’s a great way to start my day.

 5.) Be Proactive

When you’re stuck indoors, do a project you’ve been wanting to do, like going through old pictures and organizing them.

Tell your procrastinating self that you’ll feel so much better once your project is done and you’ll reward yourself for finishing it.

Sometimes the petulant child in us (AKA ego) needs to be appeased, at least until you get rid of it.

6.) Have A Regular Sleeping Schedule

Yes, I know. Sleeping in on the weekends is fucking awesome. However, sleeping half the day throws you off schedule, and you’re pissing the weekend away.

Do you really want to do that?

7.) Brighten Up Your House

Bedroom with hard wood floors and wooden beams--a beach house--with a bed and nightstand, bathed in natural light.

During the day, open up your curtains or blinds. Let some natural light in. If your walls need to be painted and you’ve been wanting to do that (be proactive), go for it. Use a cheery color to paint the walls and liven them up.

8.) Read  

Reading is a great way to help you overcome the winter blues.

A young girl reading a book. Bright rays of light and sparkles are shooting out of the pages.

When you’re lost in a good book, you’re there in that world. It’s a great way to escape and to keep you from feeling glum.

9.) Date Night

Choose one day out of the week and go out on a date. If you’re not married or dating someone, invite a friend or family member. By doing this, you’ll have something to look forward to and you’ll be getting out of the house.

10.) Make A Plan

A antique map, pictures, glasses, camera, and a notebook that's open with a pencil laying on the page.

Plan something to look forward to, whether it’s a vacation, a road trip, a weekend getaway, or a movie night. It can also be learning a new hobby or skill to help you create the life you want.

Wrapping it up:

All of the above tips I personally do myself and recommend them.

If you have any of your own tips to add, please do so in comments. I’d love to know about them.

Cheers!🥂

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