How to Beat the Winter Blues

It’s that time of year again. The festivities and excitement from the holiday season have ended and the cold, dark winter days of January have begun. A sense of stillness is in the air. All the wrapping paper and boxes are cleaned up and beautiful decorations and intricately crafted ornaments make their way back into each home’s attic until next December. 

For some, this post-holiday season is a time for relaxation and getting back to a normal routine. But for others, like myself, the months from January to March are often marked by a more unenthusiastic, somber tone. 

A tone of boredom, less motivation, and even some loneliness due to not having a jam packed calendar like the several months preceding.  

For the past 10 years, I’ve found myself regularly entering into this same mood as mid-January rolls around. I’m still content with my life during these months, but a common word that comes to mind when I try to sum up the season is feeling plain old “blah”. 

The long, dark, cold days seem to inevitably send many of us into this funk, commonly known as the “winter blues”– a mood shift during the winter season that is brought on by the change in weather, and typically hangs on until the start of spring. 

This year, as I felt the winter blues beginning to creep in even earlier than usual, I realized that I had two choices– to give into this mood and endure it until spring rolls around, or to learn how to actually enjoy the season and recognize the goodness that it can bring, despite the freezing cold temperatures. 

In this blog post, I’d like to share 4 ways that I’ve personally found to not only make it through these long winter months, but keep a healthy mindset that allows me to seek pleasure and enjoyment of the season too! If you are also a fellow fair-weathered friend, I hope you’re able to find encouragement that it is possible to beat the winter blues— it just takes some planning and a positive perspective. 

My 4 Top Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

Now there are dozens of ideas on how to boost your mood during the winter months, but a bunch of good ideas will inevitably leave you uncommitted and the ideas may be abandoned when they feel overwhelming. 

Instead, the 4 ideas that I believe are the most promising, effective, and attainable are exercise, sunlight, sociability, and mindset. 

For the past few months, I’ve been faithful at implementing these 4 mood-boosting strategies on a regular basis, realizing that the success of it lies in my perseverance and attitude. Recognizing that winter is a harder time for me means that I need to do more than just try a little harder to be happy– I need to actively choose to make these positive choices for my mind and body, even on the cold days when all I feel like doing is staying inside!

1. Exercise

When the weather turns chilly and dark, one of the last things I feel like doing is spending extra time outside. Those frigid winter days don’t seem to beckon to me like the hot summer days always do. Instead, I’d much prefer to stay inside with a cozy blanket, sipping something hot. 

But even though the weather is undesirable to me, exercise is an extremely powerful way to shake off the winter blues. When you exercise, your brain releases these amazing pain and stress relieving chemicals called endorphins, creating a natural-high of feel-good emotions. The more strenuous you exert your body, the more endorphins will be released, as a way of compensating for your muscles being put under pressure. 

Several years ago while I was a graduate student pursuing my master’s degree as a reading specialist, I took a Neuro-Education course that I’ve since been able to apply many of the strategies learned to my own adult life. We studied methods of how children, adolescents, and adults process information, learn, and function on a daily basis. 

The course itself was excellent and a great wealth of information for learning about the brain and education, but as someone who then also struggled with anxiety, I believe the wisdom that I learned from reading one book in particular was key for my long-term mental health. 

The book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain allowed me to realize the immense benefits that occur to your brain and mental health through exercising. Since then, I’ve made an effort to train myself to be physically active as a main source of my mental health and well-being. 

One of my favorite ways to get regular exercise in this season of life with three little kids is biking inside or outside. When I can slip away with just my toddler, I load him up on the back of my bicycle where he’s placed snugly in his mounted seat behind me, and off we go. I’m able to get a great workout, enjoy a peaceful ride outside in the sun, and my son is entertained too. On days where it’s not an option to ride outside, I use my stationary bike inside. 

In order to gain the mind-boosting benefits of exercise, try to get 15 minutes of exercise 4 days each week. Your exercise doesn’t have to be as energetic as running, just make sure your body keeps moving to get your heart rate elevated and those endorphins pumping! And if you can get outside to exercise it’s a double win, as you’ll reap the benefits of exercise and sunshine!

Here are some ways to incorporate exercise into your weekly routine during the winter months…

• Set a goal for yourself. Having a goal to work towards (like running a 5k race) always helps motivate me to keep going.
• Make it social. Ask a friend to meet up with you for a jog or walk a few days a week. 
• Exercise indoors. Watch a HITT workout on youtube, invest in an exercise bike or treadmill, or do some yoga. 
• Mix it up. I tend to get bored with doing the same exercise several days a week, so consider power walking or jogging one day, doing a bike ride another day, and then doing an online strength training workout a different day, for example. The variety will keep it from becoming monotonous and you’re more likely to keep at it.
• Layer up if you’re going to exercise outdoors. Don’t forget a headband or hat, gloves, and a wind-resistant jacket. As the winter-loving Scandanavians say, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”.

2. Spend time in the sunlight

As the days get shorter, this means that our brain produces less melatonin (a hormone that helps with the timing of our circadian rhythm), leaving us feeling more fatigued and throwing off the body’s internal clock. Less sunlight also means less Vitamin D. Why else do you think it’s called the “sunshine vitamin”?

It’s easy to soak in those natural rays during the warmer months of the year, but when winter hits and the outdoor activities happen far less often, our bodies feel it too. I for one realize how much a sunny day affects my mood, so making outside time a priority in the winter months has given me the boost of Vitamin D that I might have otherwise been lacking. 

The more I train myself to enjoy being outside when it’s chilly, the more I come to appreciate the crispness in the winter air or the stillness that comes from seeing bare branches gently swaying in the breeze. 

Getting outside in the winter months has become a daily routine for myself and my kids. Most days, around mid-morning, when we’ve finished up the last of our homeschooling lessons, I bundle the kids up (from head to toe because cold, crying children are no fun!), and we head out for our walk. The same routine follows around mid-afternoon when nap and quiet times have ended. 

Spending time outside has become something I look forward to each day. As each deep breath of cold air fills my lungs and I’m able to reap the benefits of the natural light, I’m also able to take a break from the busyness that is left inside my home, knowing that I’ll soon return back to it after our time in the fresh air has ended. 

To boost your mood, try to get about 1 hour of outdoor sunlight each day, and even better if it’s during the morning hours to help calibrate your circadian rhythm. When you’re exposed to morning light, your body releases hormones that are linked to an improved mood. 

So consider these ways to add some extra sunlight exposure (indoors and outdoors) to your day during the winter months…

• Rise early. Wake up shortly before sunrise and sit by a window to watch the sun come up, getting your body and mind thoughtfully thinking about starting a new day (my personal favorite way to begin each day!)
• Walk to a coffee shop to get your morning coffee
• Eat your breakfast or do your computer work in a well-lit area. Sunbeams shining through a window are still great!
• Take a mid-morning snack break outside to breath in some fresh air
• Open up all your curtains and blinds. This allows for the most natural light to come through your windows.
• Eat your lunch outside. Don’t forget to take a cozy blanket with you to stay warm!
• Begin a new outdoor hobby. Consider walking with a friend, hiking on beautiful trails, or even some wintry sports such as ice skating, snowshoeing, or skiing.

3. Be More Social

Socializing plays a big role in our health and wellbeing and inevitably many of us fail to do this enough during the cold, post-holiday, winter months (especially during this unprecedented time of COVID-19 and all the social restrictions that come along with it). We’ve all had to make sacrifices the past year and each person has to weigh their comfort level and risks when it comes to socialization, so some of these tips may be harder to implement during this season, which makes it even more important to focus on the things you can do to maintain a healthy mindset. 

It’s no doubt that being with others brings us pleasure (and releases dopamine, which provokes the brain’s pleasure centers), helps us to stay active, and allows us to fight off feelings of loneliness. Realizing that being more sociable is powerful for helping with the winter blues, I believe the key to help curbing these feelings before they even begin is by planning ahead. 

Don’t wait until the feelings of boredom and loneliness seep in come February. Instead, make an effort to fill your calendar with events to look forward to. Anticipation is half the fun! 

When I have social events or opportunities to see family members or friends throughout the week, it provides me with the fuel that I need to make the more tiresome winter days sustainable and enjoyable. 

So if you’re looking for an excuse to linger over coffee with friends (even when socially distancing!), consider adding a few more of these dates into your winter schedule! 

Here are some ideas that you might consider adding to your calendar to help fill your long winter days with more social connections. 

• Plan a weekly dinner with friends. You can make it a themed dinner, potluck, or even just order out! Having a weekly dinner with friends from college has been one of the best ways for my husband and I to stay social, especially in winter. 
• Get involved in the community. There are lots of nonprofits looking for help around the holidays and winter season. Helping other people gives us even more feel-good emotions, so it’s a win-win. Check out VolunteerMatch.org if you need some ideas of local nonprofits looking for volunteers. 
• Take a class or start a new hobby. Trying something new and creative is a great way to add excitement and adventure to your life! Consider taking a cooking, cake decorating, or photography class or begin a new hobby such as road biking, knitting, yoga, jewelry design, or painting just to name a few! 
• Plan a trip or getaway! Just changing our environment is a healthy way to boost our mood in the winter. We’ve done this several times in the past few years and the anticipation plus the actual trip has really helped me through the winter blues. 
• Think of a fun tradition to do each week that will stick. Consider Friday night pizza and movie night, coffee at a cafe with a friend, a weekly playdate at a park, a midweek date night with your spouse, family game night, or if you’re like us and your spouse works from home, do an afternoon tea time and try new varieties of tea with some yummy treats, of course!

4. Change Your Perspective

When we change our perspective, we change the way our mind views a situation. 

We can choose to shift the way we look at things, such as a frosted landscape with frigid cold temperatures. We can be disgusted at the fact that now the car needs to be defrosted and cleared off before work or that the temperature will result in having to spend more time indoors with several young kids. 

Or, we can change our mindset and embrace the goodness of that same wintry scene. We can choose to take an extra few minutes to prepare ourselves for the weather before heading outside, go on a snowy adventure with the kids and point out the beauty that the season brings, and learn to appreciate the calmness that winter seems to instill as the earth enters a period of rest from growth.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1. 

I recently discovered that my mindset was a bit off when it comes to winter. Rather than seeing winter as a burdensome part of the year, I’m choosing to appreciate the beauty and bounty that only these months can bring. I believe that there is a season for everything, and that God has a purpose for each winter season we enter. I encourage you to search for that purpose this year, whether it be a time of rest and rejuvenation, a time of embracing something new, or a time where you truly appreciate the qualities that only winter can bring.

While doing some research on how I can change my perspective on winter, I came across a fascinating mindset that the Norwegian people embrace– koselig. 

What is koselig? Think of it as a winter getaway to a beautiful ski lodge, sipping hot cocoa, curled up by the fireplace in a big comfy chair, and skiing down the slopes with friends. 

Cozy + adventure = koselig. 

With it’s brutally cold temperatures and pitch-black winter days, Norway has surprisingly placed in the top 3 of the World Happiness Report for the past 3 years. Does it seem ironic that even though this country suffers from “all the worst parts of winter” (in my opinion!), they are among the happiest in the world?! 

Their secret to happiness during this time of year is celebrating winter for what it brings. It’s a welcomed perspective that allows them to embrace the good qualities of winter, instead of dwelling on the limiting ones. 

They realize that getting outside is a mood booster, so they use this idea to embrace what can only happen in winter– skiing, winter festivals, and celebrating this time of year with friends and family. 

Psychotherapist Jennifer Silvershein explained this idea well…

“Embracing this idea of leaning into the winter and finding positive ways to enjoy it can lead us to feel less alone, more positive, and closer to those who we care about.”

So why not take one from the Norwegians and practice the art of koselig, by purposefully choosing to appreciate winter for all the good parts that it brings, and leave those negative thoughts unspoken. 

Let Your Roots Grow Deep

So whether or not the winter blues have gotten you down this year, I want to encourage you that winter is only a season, but a season that can be used for growth. I recently heard on a podcast that as we sit and wait for winter to be over and the signs of spring to emerge, we should take this time to let our roots grow deep– allow yourself to unwind and be refreshed, appreciate the stillness and less busyness that the post-holiday season brings, and give thanks for the goodness that is revealed in this season.

How can you allow the beauty of winter to shape your perspective and outlook? Stay warm and well, friends!