The Winter blues: 5 ways to boost your mental health in Winter

I’m sure you’ll agree that winter is a beautiful time of year. From glistening frost, to glorious sunsets, crisp winter mornings and of course the beauty of the festive season. But sometimes, despite all of winters beauty, the lack of sunlight, the cold temperatures and even the pressure of Christmas can all have a negative impact on our mental health.

Firstly, the feelings of sadness, unexplained irritability and lethargy we experience during the winter are completely normal. Many people simply don’t feel as happy or as motivated in winter as they do in the summer months. However, as normal as these feelings may be, you don’t have to accept them. There are ways you can combat these feelings and boost your mental health in the winter. Read on for 5 simple ways to achieve this. If you’re lacking essential nutrients consider using a supplement like Life Botanics stress and anxiety tablets to cover all nutritional basis.

Stay organised

Feelings of pressure, tension and stress are rife during winter, with the strain and expectations of Christmas and calendars bursting with social events often being the trigger. Keeping organised will help prevent you from becoming overwhelmed and panicky. Make charts, lists or spreadsheets of everything you need to remember and everywhere you need to be and print them off – discover cheap printer ink here. Remember to breathe and don’t double book yourself.

Keep active

It’s much easier to pull the warm duvet over your head when you promised yourself you’d go for a morning run. But keeping an active and healthy lifestyle during winter will certainly boost your mental health. Exercise is the perfect stress reliever, it’s also great for enjoying a little “Me time”, something which we don’t often get as parents! Hit the gym with a friend or try a new class at your local community centre.

Get as much sunlight as possible

Not easy when you go to work in the dark and come back home when it’s even darker! Exposure to natural light affects our mood, with sunlight helping our body produce vitamin D. Try to get out and about as much as you can, wrap up warm and take the baby for a 30 minute walk in the buggy, eat lunch outside on your lunch break, on a weekend head to the park with the kids. If the weather is particularly bad, then make sure the blinds and curtains are open and try to get as much sunlight into the house as possible.

Don’t forget to connect

We’re all busy during the winter months, and meeting with friends and family seems like hard work in the wind and rain. However, reaching out and connecting with others will lift your mood and keep you feeling positive and less isolated. Invite friends round for coffee, or head to a baby club together. Again, if the weather is putting you off from heading out and about, try a video call or ring up a friend or family member for a chat. You’ll feel better.

Speak to your GP about your mental health

Suffering from SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) is common in the winter months, if you think you might be struggling more than usual, then reach out and speak with your GP as soon as possible.