Over the winter the weather becomes dull and the nights grow shorter as the darker evening draw in. Christmas festivities have been and gone, so we often find ourselves becoming sluggish and somewhat fed up. Here we are going to discuss our 6 top tips to beat the winter blues.
How to beat the winter blues
We are going to look at the different ways you can lift your spirits through the winter period. Sometimes all it takes is a big cup of coffee; however, for most of us, there are a number of ways to make a few changes to our daily lives to make us feel that much better.
Go Outside
We always recommend that you take some time out of your day to go and experience the light. While this is great for your health, it can also make you feel a lot more awake. For many people that work full-time jobs during the winter months, it’s unlikely that you witness the light of day, so taking a short walk during your lunch break can give you the breather you need.
Eat more complex carbohydrates
There will be a lot of us that are trying to watch our weight during the winter months as it can be easy to slide off the healthy eating bandwagon. However, it is scientifically proven that you should eat complex carbs during the winter.
When we say complex carbs we are not talking about pizza and pasta, these types of carbs will only make you feel worse. They can make you feel sluggish, bloated and even grosser. Complex carbs take longer for your body to digest which means they won’t cause any spikes in your blood sugar. If you are experiencing extreme spikes in blood sugar, this can significantly affect your mood. You might want to opt for whole grain carbohydrates and complex carbs such as spinach, broccoli, beans, zucchini, lentils, low-fat milk and even milk substitutes. These types of complex carbs are much more likely to fill you up while providing your body with the nourishment it requires.
Introduce natural light
Much like going outside letting natural light into your home or office can improve your mood and make the room feel roomy. During the lighter hours keep your blind and curtain open, and if you have any nature blocking the light getting in we recommend you cut it down. Bring light colours into your home or office to make your room feel less cluttered. Working or living in a dark, cluttered house can often be discouraging, you will find you actually cannot work to your full potential and will be more likely to put things off. Cleaning your room or office will make you more productive and creative. Not to mention how it will help your electricity plans for homes and will also make you more energy efficient.
Have fun
A lot of people stop being social during the winter months as we tend to go into hibernation mode. Make sure you have something to do at least once a week, even if it’s meeting up with friends to go for a walk or staying in for a movie night.
Set goals
Many of us find ourselves going with the flow during winter because were in a slower mood and don’t want to leave the house. Setting personal goals gives us focus, we can target these goals, and once we have completed them, we feel a deep sense of self-achievement. Goals also allow us to measure the progression throughout a set time period. They give us the motivation to complete something we might not have done without setting the goal in the first place.
So why not think about energy consumption goals, such as making your home or office as energy efficient as possible by the end of 2018. This gives you 12 months to work towards to goal, each month you can tick off things you have implemented to reducing your energy consumption. You could install solar panels during the spring to get ready for the lighter days of spring/summer; Solar Guide is a great business that provides free quotations. You could also look at introducing a smart meter, to record your energy usage in the home. Most energy providers will now provide smart meters to their customers.
You might also want to set a goal to save money, this can simply be done by switching energy providers. There are a number of Electricity and gas suppliers on the market, who can potentially save you hundreds of pounds.
Work out
Working out can benefit not only your physical health but also your mental wellbeing. Working out is great for people that find during the winter your mood goes in waves. You naturally release endorphins which are the feel-good hormones. It can also help you boost your immune system which is always a plus. For more information on how working out can help beat winter blues read the following articles, by clicking here.
Sleep is essential
Always make sure that you have enough sleep, but also try your best not to oversleep. Oversleeping can make you feel incredibly sluggish. You should think about all the things you could be doing rather than staying in bed all day. The recommended amount of sleep for people aged 18-64 is 7 to 9 hours. So make sure that you are getting this amount of sleep, it will make you feel so much better. It will also reduce the amount of caffeine needed throughout the day.
Summary
There are a number of different ways to beat your winter blues; we always recommend that you take a few of these steps to improving your mood, health and mental wellbeing. Getting outside and letting natural light in is one of the best ways to improve your mood. While getting the important vitamins into your body, it also makes you feel like you have seen the light, which a lot of us miss due to working long hours. Exercising is a great way to improve your mood and make you feel good. Take your mood out during your work out, putting more effort into it will release more endorphins which make you happier. Finally, set yourself goals, try and do something different. Set achievable goals that will help not only you but also others.