In 2022, as a society, we appreciate the notion that looking after your mental health is just as vitally important as the things you do to take care of your physical health. Many of us get a bit down in the colder winter months. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a real thing that many people suffer from every year.
To help you out and provide you with a bit of guidance, we’ve come up with this wellness piece on taking care of your mental well-being to help you fight off the seasonal winter blues this year.
Lean on Your Support Network
If you live somewhere which is bitterly cold and dark during the winter months, there may come a time when you start to feel a bit down. Whenever you or anyone around you detects that you may be going through low moods or a bout of depression, don’t stand around being idle, do something about it.
One thing you can do to boost your mental health in the winter is to stay in good contact with your core support network and those special people in your life who you love the most. Your support network may involve picking up the phone or meeting in person with your family members, friends, or even colleagues.
There’s nothing like a warm drink and offloading all your winter woes to someone close to you that you know you can trust. Are you going through something traumatic or having difficulty dealing with your emotions during the colder season?
Remember that you can rely on people for help in your social support bubble.
Keep Talking and Seek Therapy If You Feel You Need It
When you’re experiencing a tough time of it in the winter, it’s vital that you remember to keep talking; cutting yourself off will do you no good and only cause you to become increasingly socially isolated as time goes by.
Talking with family and friends is great. However, it can also be comforting to offload your thoughts to someone who doesn’t know you so well. Why not try and help yourself by seeking therapy from a trusted, trained professional so that you can talk through your emotions with them?
Talkiatry, a dependable online psychiatry service, can offer you sessions with a board-certified telehealth psychiatrist that will fit your personal schedule. Don’t stay silent and bottle up your emotions; open up in a therapy session that provides you with a safe space to talk about what’s on your mind.
Learn Something New and Take Up Hobbies
Using your brain and indulging in your curious side by learning new things is also a brilliant way to distract your mind from any gloomy thoughts you may be having in the winter. Having hobbies and things to do can improve your mental well-being and happiness by giving you more purpose as you become increasingly invested in your interests.
So try and take up a fun new hobby this winter, whether it involves art, crafts, sports, walking, birdwatching, DIY tasks, music, or whatever takes your fancy.
Life is only as dull as you make it, so learn as many new things as possible and take up exciting hobbies this winter to keep things interesting.
Exercise Regularly and Lead an Active Lifestyle to Power on Through
Your physical and mental health are interconnected. To put it simply, if you fail to look after your physical health, your mental health tends to deteriorate as a result, and vice-versa. You must make sure you get enough exercise during the wintertime.
Doctors suggest you do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity to stay healthy and active as an adult. Cycling and swimming are examples of two types of physical activities you could pick up this year that are particularly good for your physical health and the joints and muscles of the body since they are both low-impact exercises.
Look into local sports clubs you could join, exercise and physical activity can be more pleasurable and sociable when you do things in groups. Are you at college? Why not join a college sports team? Remember, you can start off doing sports for fun, and you don’t have to begin playing competitively as a relative beginner to the sport in question. Do a sport that you enjoy doing and that makes you feel happier inside.
You also mustn’t forget how essential it is for you to follow a healthy balanced diet in the winter. Undoubtedly, it’s less sunny during that part of the year, so you want to eat foods and drinks rich in vitamin D and other nutrients, such as mushrooms, fish, and fruit juices, to look after your skin and the rest of your body.
Keep Your Motivation Levels High
Do whatever helps keep you feeling adequately well-motivated in the winter period, whether it’s watching corny motivational speeches on YouTube that spurs you on, following a fitness plan, frequently chatting with close friends, or anything else. Maintaining a high level of determination and self-motivation will prevent you from developing low moods for sustained periods during the winter.
Anyone can experience times when they feel down in the winter, and these are some top tips to help you succeed in fighting off those winter blues.