DAY 296 - FIGHTING THE WINTER BLUES

Day 296

With winter rapidly approaching, the days are growing shorter and the light growing dimmer. For some people, this often equates to increased fatigue; as it is the case for my friend Alexandra.  As we were walking together this morning, she told me she had been feeling tired.  Then, she looked up to the sky and told me that the grey of the past few days probably haven't helped.  "Maybe I should go to a tanning salon", she said jokingly.

Like many other people, Alexandra suffers from a mild case of Seasonal Affective Disorder (a type of depression that primarily occurs in the winter but often starts in the fall) and is related to changes in the amount of daylight.  There is, of course, a scientific explanation to this.  Your mood is influenced by serotonin levels, which increase when you’re exposed to sunlight.  In winter, there is less light, so your body produces less serotonin, thus potentially making you feel fatigued and sometimes depressed.

Since winter is unavoidable, one needs to find ways to prevent the winter blues.  I come from a warm Mediterranean country and I really believe I wasn't made for winter.  Since the weather has gotten a bit cooler, my hands and feet are constantly cold. And I hate feeling cold. So, one of the things I know I need to do is to keep warm by dressing up appropriately (no more mini skirts in winter for me!) and turning up the heaters in my house. (Although it's not that easy to do since my husband is always hot!)

Here are other things I usually do to keep on smiling throughout the winter:

- Eat warm food - there is nothing better than soups and stews to comfort you in winter.

- Exercise, exercise, exercise - when you exercise you always feel much better.

- Go outside - there isn't much light, but it's important to get some of the natural light that's available (noon time is apparently the best).

- Keep socializing - in winter it seems harder to find the courage to get out of your house, but it's as essential to connect with people in the winter as it is in the summer.

- Keep your house well lit and let the sunshine in - if you can't get outside, at least make sure your house is full of light!

- Meditate on happy thoughts - take time to focus on something that makes you happy!

- Buy a natural daylight lamp and put it on your desk at work.

- Plan little excursions and trips - if you can afford to go down south in the winter, it is the best way to go get a little boost of serotonin production.  If not, plan activities or weekends that you can look forward to.

- Take vitamin D - because of the lack of sun in winter, in the northern hemisphere, we could all potentially become deficient in vitamin D.

Most of all, don't worry, summer will eventually come back.  Winter won't last forever... THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

And what do you do to keep the winter blues at bay?

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