Does the sun setting at 4:30 p.m. make you want to crawl into a cave and hibernate until spring? We get it. Winter brings a specific kind of heaviness that can make even the most optimistic person feel a little meh. The grey skies, the biting wind, the slushy sidewalks, and the endless layers of clothing can drain your energy.
But you can do more than just survive these upcoming winter months. In fact, you can actually thrive because you have more power over your mood than you might think. By making a few tweaks to your routine, environment, mindset, and diet, you can keep those winter blues at bay. Let’s dive into 10 surefire ways to maintain your mental health this winter.
- Become a Light Chaser
Your brain is basically a sophisticated houseplant; it needs sunlight to function correctly. When the days get shorter, your serotonin drops, and your melatonin (the sleep hormone) can go haywire.
Don’t just sit in the dark. Open your blinds the second you wake up, sit near windows at coffee shops, take a walk at noon, and trim back any bushes blocking your home’s natural light. If that still doesn’t feel like enough, you might invest in a light therapy box. These, sweetly dubbed “happy lamps,” mimic outdoor light and can trick your brain into thinking it’s a sunny July afternoon.
- Move Your Body (Even When You Don’t Want To)
The couch is calling your name, and it’s very persuasive. However, moving your body is nonnegotiable for mental health. Exercise releases endorphins, those magical chemicals that act as natural painkillers and mood elevators.
You don’t need to train for a marathon. Just get your heart rate up. You could try yoga, hit the weights, dance around your kitchen, or shovel the driveway with enthusiasm. Plus, establishing a consistent workout routine now helps you stay in shape all your life, not just during the winter or swimsuit season.
- Eat a Lot of Nutrient-Dense Comfort Foods
Winter screams for mac and cheese, pizza, cookies, and heavy casseroles. But while those foods taste amazing, a diet high in sugar and processed carbs can contribute to you feeling tired and irritable. There are many reasons for this, but it largely has to do with energy crashes, inflammation, and a general lack of essential micronutrients.
Instead, fuel your brain with stuff that helps it fight inflammation. For example, you can try to eat more foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, such as salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds, and fortified orange juice. Additionally, consider roasting root vegetables, making hearty soups with bone broth, stewing apples with cinnamon, and brewing herbal teas.
Now, still eat those comfort foods when you crave them! All we’re saying is you should make sure you’re getting the nutrition your body craves by also adding wholesome foods to your diet.
- Embrace the Art of Hygge
The Danes have harsh winters, yet they are reportedly some of the happiest people on earth. Their secret is hygge (pronounced hoo-ga), which essentially means creating a cosy atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people.
Stop fighting the cold and lean into the cosiness. Make your environment a sanctuary. You can do this by lighting warm-toned candles, buying the fluffiest throw blanket you can find, wearing your thickest wool socks, drinking hot cocoa by a fire, and so forth. Shift your perspective from “I’m stuck inside” to “I get to be comfy inside.”
- Keep Your Brain Engaged With New Hobbies
Since you are spending more time indoors, you might as well use that time to learn something cool. Boredom can quickly spiral into sadness, so give your brain a new challenge to chew on.
Pick up a hobby that has nothing to do with screens. You could learn to paint watercolours, try your hand at coding, master the guitar, or finally figure out how a sewing machine works so you can fix that pile of clothes in your closet. The dopamine hit you get from mastering a new skill is a fantastic antidote to the stagnation of winter.
- Stick to a Consistent, Healthy Sleep Schedule
When it’s dark all the time, your body might want to sleep all the time. Alternatively, you might stay up until 2 a.m. doom-scrolling because you didn’t get enough daylight to trigger your sleep cues.
Consequently, you need to be the boss of your bedtime. Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every single day, even on weekends. Create a wind-down routine that signals to your body that it is time to rest, such as reading a paper book, stretching lightly, turning down the thermostat, and dimming the lights an hour before bed. Proper sleep hygiene stabilises your mood faster than almost anything else.
- Force Yourself to Socialise
Another way to maintain your mental health this winter is by not becoming a hermit. Hibernation mode is dangerous because isolation breeds depression. It is easy to cancel plans when it is freezing outside, but loneliness is a major health risk.
So make plans that you won’t flake on. Schedule a weekly game night, join a book club, meet a friend for a bundled-up walk, or commit to a volunteer shift. Even if you just go to a coffee shop to be around other people, it helps.
- Get Outside Into Nature
We know it’s cold. We know it’s wet. Go outside anyway.
There is something restorative about fresh air and nature that you cannot replicate on a treadmill. Moreover, bundling up and braving the elements can make you feel resilient. So put on your parka and go find some trees!
- Practice Gratitude to Shift Your Perspective
When everything looks grey, your brain tends to focus on the negative. You have to train it to see the good stuff. It sounds cheesy, but it works.
Start a simple journaling practice. Every morning or evening, write down three things you are grateful for. They don’t have to be huge. They can be simple things like a hot cup of coffee, a text from a friend, a green light when you were running late, or a dog you saw on the street. Over time, this rewires your brain to scan the world for positives rather than threats.
- Know When to Call in the Pros
Sometimes, all the kale salads, sun lamps, yoga classes, and gratitude journals in the world aren’t enough. If the seasonal depression is still getting you down, it might be time to talk to a therapist.
There is zero shame in getting help. Winter depression is a chemical issue, not a character flaw. A professional can offer tools, strategies, and treatments to help you cope with and manage the worst part of the season.
