Winter wellbeing strategies: self-care in the colder months

Do you feel unhappy in Winter? Do you catch the Winter blues? Do you need some Winter wellbeing strategies?

Winter can be hard. The days are shorter, colder and rainier. And it’s easier to let yourself become less motivated to keep up with your wellbeing and self-care routine. So let’s walk through my 7 wellbeing strategies to boosting your self-care throughout the winter months:

1. Get some sunshine

Winter can be really grey, rainy and just plain dreary. Particularly if you work in an office or have to leave for work before sunrise and arrive home after sunset you might find that you really can very minimal sunshine throughout the day.

Unfortunately, we need light and sunshine in our lives. Light activates our circadian rhythm which is the sleep-wake cycle. If your rhythm is a little off it means that your body isn’t awake when you would like to be and therefore you feel sleepy and sluggish. Sunlight is also particularly important in our body’s production of vitamin D  and we more easily become Vitamin D deficient during winter. 

Consider wellbeing strategies like:

• Taking a micro break throughout the day particularly when it’s sunshine. Try to get out into the sunshine for between 10 to 30 minutes, 3 times a week to allow your body to produce the optimal level of vitamin D.
• Putting  your desk or workstation closer to a window
• Opening your curtains or blinds first thing in the morning as part of your routine to allow more light in

2. Exercise

Exercise is so good for our well-being It can make you feel happier, strengthens bones and muscles, increases energy levels, reduces your risk of chronic illness, improves your brain functioning and memory,  helps you to relax and unwind,  and can even help you sleep better.  

But in winter it is so much harder to exercise.   The last thing I want to be doing when it’s cold and dark is getting outside but incorporating exercise is really important for well-being over this period. 

So to maintain your exercise over the winter period:

• Remind yourself why you’re exercising?  What do you want to achieve by exercising? Write it on your mirror or set a reminder on your phone so that your reasons for exercising stay front of mind.
• Make exercise part of your routine and build it into a habit
• Do something you enjoy. It’s much easier to remain motivated to exercise when it’s something you enjoy so find a style of exercise that you enjoy.
• If you hate being outside during Winter, try to find something which can be done inside, for example, yoga classes.

3. Sleep

If you’re not getting enough sleep or the sleep that you are getting is of a  really sh*tty quality amongst other things your immune system will become compromised. Keeping your immune system strong is particularly important during winter as colds and cases of flu are more prevalent. Wellbeing strategies to support quality sleep include:

• Identify how much sleep you need. Generally, for adults, this is between 7 – 9 hours but everyone is different and I personally find that during Winter my body likes a little extra sleep. If you’re on the longer side of the sleep hours spectrum (like I am), embrace it! There is nothing wrong with an extended visit to the temple of nod.
• Minimise caffeine and alcohol, and try not to exercise right before bed
• Optimise your bedroom for sleep
• Build a great evening routine
• Try to go to bed earlier in the evening as you tend to spend a larger proportion of sleep in non-REM sleep (where rest and recovery occur) which will help you to feel more rested the next day.

4. Nutrition

Nutrition is important for our physical and psychological wellbeing but it can be very easy for our nutrition to slip during winter.  During these months, we tend to reach for comfort foods i.e. higher-calorie food and to eat more food in general. 

Consider:

• Be intentional about your nutrition by meal planning
• Aim for five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit every day
• Minimising sugar, alcohol and processed foods.
• Cook soups and stews so that you are eating nutritious and comforting meals

5. Manage your mind 

As with any part of the year, we can experience feelings of overwhelm, stress and sadness. We can’t eliminate stress but we can manage our minds and the way we respond to stress. 

If I were to ask you how would you build physical fitness I’m sure strategies such as lifting weights or running laps come to mind. When we think about push-ups for the brain and mind it’s not as straight forward. Key strategies that can help you manage your mind include mindfulness and meditation. Setting aside five to ten minutes a day to practise mindfulness or meditation has proven to relieve stress and anxiety by bringing us back to the present and enable us to recognize thoughts and feelings for what they are.

To manage your mind consider incorporating the following into your self-care toolkit:

• A mindfulness practice
• Gratitude journaling
• Using mindfulness or meditation apps such as Smiling Mind or Headspace

6. Social connection

Social connection is an important part of wellbeing because it leads to increased feelings of belonging, purpose, happiness, reduced levels of stress, improved self-worth and confidence. Often during winter though we find that motivation just socialise and to maintain a connection with others is a little lower than when it’s summer or spring and the sun is shining.  It is important to note though that social connectedness doesn’t necessarily involve building a large network of friends, it maybe it is important to note that social connection is more related to the quality rather than the number of relationships and interactions with others. 

To maintain your connection with friends and family  during this period  the following wellbeing strategies may help:

• How you can increase the quality of your interactions with friends and family? Monthly zoom date night? No phones whilst eating dinner?
• Connect with others using social media and online mediums if this is what works best for you

• Maintain contact with existing friends and reconnect with old friends if you find this dropping off
• Make an effort to spend time with friends and family

7. Embrace slowing down

It is not possible to be on the go all the time.  Even nature takes a timeout during winter. In winter animals hibernate, plants lose their leaves and overall nature slows down and rests in preparation for the next season. 

We are a part of nature and can learn a lot from her seasons. In particular, we can also embrace winter as a period of rest and reflection.  Winter can be a reminder that we don’t need to be on and go go go all of the time.  To remind us that it is ok to rest, prioritise ourselves, take things at our own pace,  to go within and embrace a slower season. 

Consider how you can use winter to embrace a period of slowing down and to take stock of what is and isn’t working in your life. Strategies you can use include:

• Set your intention for this season
• Review what’s working and what’s not working for you within your life
• Put some time aside to reflect and prioritise yourself
• Find your joy in winter, for example, light your fireplace, buy comfy warm pyjamas.

Please remember: it’s normal for your motivation to take a dip and for some Winter blues to creep into your life but feeling very down and depressed in the winter months might be something more. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that follows the seasons. Approximately 1% to 10% of the  US population (depending on the distance from the equator) are affected by SAD and women are generally more likely to be affected (with a ratio of 4:1). If you feel that you are significantly affected by depression in Winter please speak to your GP or other health care professional for advice.