Avoiding the Winter Blues. Two Easy Ways to Make the Most of This Fall Season
The clocks have changed. I was looking outside at dinner. It was dark, and that’s depressing. But I started to wonder if I could avoid the winter blues and make the most of this fall season.
For the most part, I like the fall season. Cooler temperatures, colors changing, football season—all of it’s great. But there is one problem with it. Winter’s coming. Honestly, I don’t even mind the cold and snow. It’s the lack of sunlight.
By the time I get home from work, I’m eating dinner in the dark—at 5 p.m. While it might be just a minor annoyance for me, it is much more severe for many others.
It’s normal to feel more blah during the drab winter months. Still, those experiencing seasonal depression or SAD often have serious lingering feelings of sadness, increased symptoms of depression, weight gain, and fatigue. Some even fall into clinical depression, affecting them for nearly half the year.
Shouldn’t our minds and bodies adapt to the changing climate?
Our minds and bodies need sunshine. It’s necessary to generate the production of vitamin D. But sunlight also supports bone health, lowers blood pressure, prevents disease, and, of course, is good for our mental health.
But as you might imagine, when we spend much of our day in school or work while it’s light out and then by the time we are home, it’s dark, our bodies and mind are not getting the vitamin D it needs.
But that’s only part of the equation.
So much of our mental health depends on getting good sleep. Achieving the right kind of sleep means sticking to a schedule—a sleep pattern. So, what happens when the clocks suddenly change, and there’s less daylight? You guessed it. Your sleep patterns are completely disrupted, resulting in chemicals like serotonin and melatonin causing even more disruption.
Your mood, energy, patience, and even productivity at work can start to suffer.
Is there a simple solution? I’m glad you asked. Yes, there is.
Let’s be clear, however. There is a difference between just feeling blah because it's dark and cold out and suffering from the pervasiveness of that feeling or increased symptoms of depression. Try these two tips, but if you still feel stuck, don’t hesitate to contact a mental health care professional for additional help. They can often provide you with what you need to get over that hump and, in the future, avoid it altogether.
Ok, on to the tips.
1. Find the sunshine
Get outside. I know it’s cold and dark and blah, but go. Take a walk or ride a bike (carefully) as Christmas decorations are going up. It gives you something fun to look at. Get home too late? Take some time at work to get outside. Host a meeting in the parking lot, eat lunch outside even if it’s cold—the cold temps are good for your immune system), take a quick walk a few times a day, or even just sit by a window.
Dogs are especially good at this. On a sunny day, open the shades in your home and watch your dog follow the sunshine from room to room. I’ll watch my pooch go from the middle of the stairs to the living room to my bedroom. Where there is sun, she is lying in it. It’s like they know it’s good for them too.
Find the sun.
Click Here to Learn More About How Temperatures Affect Mood
2. Establish a regular pattern of sleep
Not only is sleep crucial. A regular, established, and consistent pattern of sleep is even better. I know in some cases it’s hard, but whenever possible, create a bedtime routine. Wind down properly, stay off social media before bed, actually put your pajamas on, and wind down for the night.
Then, in the morning, I wake up at approximately the same time every day. I know, some mornings, the snooze button is your best friend. But I promise you, it’s lying to you. Don’t do it. Don’t hit it. Get up and get the day started, even if you feel tired. Over time, that regular rhythm will do wonders for your mind.
However, the best part is that when you establish those patterns, the time changes, and the shorter days will affect you less.
Fall can be a beautiful time of year that you find immense joy in—but not without somewhat of a challenge. So be sure to pay attention to how you feel and be intentional about how you go about developing and maintaining the right habits that put your mental state in the best position possible.
So enjoy the hot chocolate by the fire, a warm blanket, the Christmas lights, and whatever you do, don’t think about February and white snow turned brown slush.
