The clocks went back an hour at the weekend, and this brought darker evenings. Along with Winter comes the Winter blues, which is also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It can affect people of any age, including children. Symptoms of SAD are similar to other forms of depression, including feelings of hopelessness, lack of concentration, and social withdrawal. Other signs of the Winter blues include craving carbohydrates, sleeping more than usual, and having little motivation.
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Here are some ways in which to help you overcome the Winter blues.
Overcoming the Winter Blues
- Get active – A walk around the middle of the day when the light is the greatest is a good way to help beat the Winter blues. Heading to the pool for a swim is another good way of getting active. Simply Swim is a great form of exercise to get fit. You can allow for an extra mince pie as you would have burnt off the extra calories! Why not take your kids swimming? buy them some girls swimsuits and all get in the pool! Make it a fun day out.
- Start a new hobby – Winter is the perfect time to start a new hobby like keeping a bullet journal, crochet or blogging. It will keep your mind active.
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- See friends and family – Go out of your way and arrange meet-ups with friends and family that you haven’t seen in a while. Socialising is good for your mental health and will help to keep the Winter blues away. It’s a good time to accept invitations to Christmas parties.
- Look at your diet – A healthy diet should emphasise vegetables, fruit, protein sources, and healthy fats, but you don’t have to completely give up eating carbohydrates.
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- Talk it through – It’s always good to talk. You can join a support group and or talk to friends and family. Getting your thoughts and feelings out makes the problem so much easier to deal with.
If your winter blues are still hanging around in the spring it may be time to talk to a mental health professional. Learn more about finding a counselor online or near you by visiting thrivetalk.com
What are your tips for beating the Winter blues?
As always I love to read your thoughts.
Thanks for stopping by today.
*This is a collaborative post.
Some great advice here, every year I suffer with the winter blues going to put some of your tips into practise, think I might try and invest in a su rise lamp too as these sound great, thanks for your tips xx
Some great ideas – thank you!
I’ve also got a sunrise lamp. It really helps on those cold, dark mornings.
Well! After reading this the other day I suspect my DOG is suffering! Bless her.
Particularly as you get older and retired it is sometimes difficult to motivate yourself to actually leave the house although it’s important to do so. Winter is a time to spend hours enjoying our many indoor hobbies (reading, knitting, computing and entering competitions) all in the cosy environment of home, especially these days when we can do most of our shopping on line. Having actually left the house, sometimes under protest ” I haven’t got time for a walk” I actually return feeling more invigorated and refreshed and realise just how I’ve have enjoyed the outing and resolve to do it more often.
Some great tips, taking up new hobbies is a great idea
HEALTHY body HEALTHY mind – great suggestions
Some good tips getting outside is a must for me.
some great tips – thank you