Summer is well and truly over and the beautiful autumnal colours are everywhere. Winter is well and truly on its way and with it, it seems to have brought the rain, wind and darker evenings too. Whilst Autumn is my favourite season (closely followed by winter, purely for Christmas!) it is all to easy to fall into a bit of a slump when the rain and wind scuppers your plans and the evenings are dark before you have even had dinner!
However there are plenty of ways to beat those winter blues and here are some of my favourite ways to stay happy, healthy and positive through the colder winter months.
Get outside when you can
When the cold weather strikes it can be tempting to want to stay indoors and not go out. But this can actually make us feel worse since it can be extremely isolating and leave us feeling groggy and unenergized. Something as simple as short walk, change of scenery and some fresh air can do wonders for our mood and mind. Just remember to wrap up warm before you head out and maybe pop the heating on before you go out so the house is toasty warm for when you get back.
Consider a light box
Sometimes those winter blues can actually be more than just feeling unhappy. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is a psychological condition that results in depression. It is normally provoked by seasonal change and symptoms can often be helped with light therapy. This non invasive therapy often involves sitting in front of or very close too bright lights. But even if you don't have SAD turning on more lights in your home, ensuring the little natural light available can get into your home and just generally getting more light in can help boost your mood.
Use daily vitamins to help give you a boost
Taking a daily vitamin or supplement can be a great way to give both your body and mind a boost when the winter is here. Once the summer ends and the long days of sunshine are a distant memory, we often need a little help with topping up certain vitamins, especially Vitamin D. Of course you can do this with choosing foods which are high in Vitamin D, but if you want a little extra help you can find multi vitamins on Amazon or via a health-food store/pharmacy to help with a quick and easy way to give you that boost.
Nutrition in general can make a huge difference to how we feel. What we eat is so important for both our physical and mental health and so it can be really important that we eat a well balanced diet regardless of the season or weather. Now I don't know about you but there is something about walking into a home that smells of a delicious meal that instantly lifts my mood. When the cold weather hits its the perfect time to pull out the slow cooker, soup makers and crock pots to put together some hearty, warming meals such as soups, casseroles and stews. Not only can these be chucked into a pot with minimal effort, but they can be loaded with lean meats and healthy veggies and they smell amazing too.
Make Plans and Socialise
It's a well known fact that surrounding ourselves with friends, family and people who make us happy is a great way to life our mood and put a smile on our faces. It can be easy to dismiss making time for meeting with friends when we are all busy planning for Christmas but it is important to find time to socialise with others. If you don't have many friend's or family members near by or you are looking at ways to make new friend's volunteering is a great way to meet new people whilst helping others at the same time.
And if all else fails throw yourself into full blown Christmas planning mode, put up your tree and think glitter, sparkle and twinkly lights, because there is something about Christmas that makes most of us happy right!?
All jokes aside the winter blues can be very real for many people so hopefully some of the tips above will help out. And if you see someone who might be struggling offer a warm drink or even just a chat. If you fancy winning some vitamins to help you beat those winter blues and boost your Vitamin intake you can enter the giveaway below.
You could be in with a chance to win a years supply of Multi-vitamin to keep you going all year long, from Epsilon. You can enter as using as many or as little of the entries as you like below and a winner will be selected after the giveaway has ended.
**This is a collaborative post in which I received a fee. All words and opinions are my own.**
*This giveaway is open to UK residents only. One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries. The winner will be contacted via email directly from Epsilon and will have 28 days to respond. After 28 days a new winner will be selected. The prize will be sent directly from Epsilon and I hold no responsibility for the delivery of the prize.*
I really try and push for days outside. There's nothing quite like a forest walk in the winter xx
ReplyDeleteI really like cooking stew in the slow cooker in the winter. It always makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteSome fab tips here getting outside during winter is so important it really does help improve your mood.
ReplyDeleteWe definitely try to get outside as much as possible even in the winter! I do tend to do a lot of socialising in the winter too
ReplyDeleteThe nutrition thing can be so overlooked. When it's cold out and our energy is down it's easy to reach for junk food, but we need nutritious food. Theres a reason it's called soup season!
ReplyDeleteI can not stress enough how important a good light at home is. I agree that it helps with SAD. Sometimes even a small salt lamp in the corner of the bedroom, or some additional string lights boost the mood immediately. And healthy, warm, freshly cooked food is a staple x
ReplyDeleteThese are some great ideas, SAD is such an awful thing to have to go through! It is amazing how light boxes can help.
ReplyDeleteI always feel a bit pants in winter - some great tips here x
ReplyDeleteOoh amazing, we need vegan multivitamins, I'm entering! The thing that keeps me going in winter is being outside. Running, walking the dog and swimming in the river. There's nothing better for keeping the winter blues away :)
ReplyDeleteNat.x
As much as I can complain about being cold in winter, it is a lovely time of year to be out and about in, if you wear the right clothing! Even Herbert, our dachshund, has his own winter gear to keep him warm. He gets a little grumpy about the cold and need for walks.
ReplyDeleteThere are some really great ideas here. I think I need the vitamins boost and the mood box too xx
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