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4 Tips for Maintaining Your Mental Health During the Winter
When the temperature drops and the daytime is short, some find stress levels rise and mood dips. While it may seem like there isn’t much one can do to stave off the negative impact of these inevitable seasonable changes, this isn’t true.
To find out the simplest and most effective tips, we compiled helpful tips and spoke with some experts right here at Heading Health.
Here’s what we’ve learned.
The winter months can make planning and maintaining appointments more challenging. Busier schedules can drain your energy and make it hard to find a time that works.
A cold, dark day can make it tempting to stay inside and cancel an appointment you’ve already made. If your mood has already been negatively impacted by the winter months, a lack of motivation can make scheduling and attending an appointment seem overwhelming.
All of these factors contribute to missed appointments for mental and physical health. It’s no surprise that this can take a toll on your mental health, exacerbating issues if you already have them or putting you at risk of developing them. It’s vital that you keep up with your scheduled appointments despite the extra energy required to do so during the winter.
Victor Furtick, a clinical social worker here at Heading Health, notes that when it comes to avoiding missed appointments, “keeping organized and establishing a consistent structure is key.”
He recommends:
As colder temperatures make outdoor activities less desirable or feasible, it’s easy to take on a less active lifestyle. While this may seem like a harmless change, you may be making yourself more vulnerable to feelings of depression and anxiety, as studies have repeatedly connected exercise to improvements in mood and stress reduction. Here are a few simple tips for staying active in the winter.
Regular and repeated exposure to sunlight plays a significant role in maintaining our mental health.
As a result, the lack of sunlight in the winter is one of the main reasons it can strain our mental well-being. As the days grow shorter and we spend more time inside, our time in front of the sun gets smaller and smaller. As a result, we become more prone to experiencing feelings of depression and anxiety.
For some people, the impact is so severe that they develop what is known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), characterized by fatigue, depression, hopelessness, and social withdrawal. The main treatment for this condition is bright light therapy, where people sit in front of a special lamp for 20-30 minutes every morning. Recent research has found that this technique can be helpful for individuals with other mental health conditions, including depression and bipolar disorder.
If you are experiencing a drop in mood during winter, consider purchasing a bright light box. If you do, be sure to find the right one, as some will be more effective than others. Dr. Richard S. Schwartz, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, recommends looking for a light box that:
More detailed advice on selecting a box can be found here.
Despite or because of all the holiday events, many may find themselves withdrawing from their social connections, which can quickly lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Here are a few tips to help maintain a sense of social connectedness during the winter.
These tips are for general mental wellbeing, and may not be suitable if you are in distress. If you are experiencing mental health challenges that do not resolve in a few days you may want to consider reaching out for help from a therapist or medical professional. And, as always, if you are in a crisis please text #741741 or dial #988.
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