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How to Keep Positive During the Winter Gloom

Daylight savings is great because that means that we all get an extra hour of sleep. But what most of us hate about the time changes is that we lose an hour of daylight. I don’t think many of us realize just how important that extra hour of sunlight is. When we wake up and leave for work it’s dark out and by the time we get out of work at the end of the day, it’s pitch black outside. If you work inside all day long, you won’t see sunlight until the weekend! Not seeing the sun for a couple days can really have an effect on our moods and I don’t think we all realize how important vitamin D is to our bodies.

You aren’t just imagining the difference in your mood during the winter. With shorter day and colder nights, seasonal depression is a real disorder that is more common in women than in men. We can find ourselves lethargic, overeating, and being sad all because we’re trapped inside for months. But, there are ways that you can get through the next couple of months with ease. Just by adding certain vitamins and foods into your diet or simply by taking walks during work, you can drastically improve your mood. Read below to find out all the things that you can do to avoid being in a gloomy mood this winter.

AVOID NEGATIVE TALK

The weather is always a topic of conversation during the winter months. The temperature drops down below freezing, snow is always in the forecast, and driving conditions can be horrendous. It’s easy for us to talk about how gross and horrible the weather is and how we hate the cold and driving in the snow. It can be easy to focus on the negative side of winter but we need to stay positive. Instead of thinking about all the bad and negative things that surround winter, think positive thoughts. For example, instead of thinking “wow it’s super cold outside today” you can say “yay I get to wear my new chunky knit sweater today because of the cold weather!” Just by changing your point of view on things can change your mood for the better.

GET AS MUCH SUNLIGHT AS POSSIBLE 

One thing that I need to do more often gets outside more during the day. At work, I am all the way on the 4th floor and I use that an excuse for not going outside. It’s terrible I know, I should get up, walk down all those stairs, and just stand outside for a couple minutes. Not only does it get me away from my desk for 10 minutes, but it will also get my blood flowing, and give my body so much needed vitamin D from the sun. If you really can’t get outside during the day I would recommend vitamin D pills! This little pill will help supplement the missing nutrients that your body needs.

STAY HEALTHY

During this time of the year, it always seems like everyone is getting sick. I don’t know if it is because of the weather, the foods we are eating, or the lack of proper hygiene, but everyone seems to be sneezing and coughing. It’s important for you to stay healthy during these cold months so that can be at your best!

Since colds and the flu are always on the rise this time of year, it’s important to wash your hands before you eat, use hand sanitizer, and get your flu shot. It’s not just about preventative actions that will help you stay healthy, it’s also about what you eat. During winter you need to eat foods that are high in protein and in good fats. Foods like fish, nuts, meats, avocados, and cheese are great sources of those proteins and fats. And as always it’s important to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water.

STAY ACTIVE

It’s not just about what we eat or drink, we also need to stay active to be healthy. Like I mentioned above I should really be getting away from my desk each day and take a walk. During the summer I do this every day at lunchtime but now that it’s cold, I don’t want too. I hate the cold. But what I should really be doing is taking a walk around my office building to get my heart rate up. If you are feeling more ambitious, you can sign up for a workout class to go to after work or school or do your own workout at home. Exercise reduces your symptoms of seasonal depression and raises your level of endorphins. That means that you’ll feel happy and healthy after you work out!

 MAKE YOUR HOME A WELCOMING PLACE

With the harsh weather outside it’s important to make your home a warm and welcoming place. I always like to keep a supply of big comfy blankets on my couch and packs of hot chocolate in the cabinet. Having candles and soft lights in my apartment also helps to calm me after working in a cold office all day. One easy way to make your home a more welcoming place is to add some greenery! Just because we got rid of our Christmas trees doesn’t mean that we can’t have a plant in our houses again until May. Some plants that you can get to brighten up your apartment and to purify the air are palm plants, ficus, philodendrons, fern plants or peace lilies.

Winter may seem like a never-ending time where it’s dark, cold, and gross outside. However, it’s important to stay positive, eat healthily, stay active, and get as much sunlight as possible to help keep us in a positive mood. These tips can make us feel better and help us be our best active selves this winter season.

What do you do to get through the winter gloom?

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Comments

  2. So important to put in that extra effort to avoid the gloom of winter. That’s a super interesting point to avoid negative talk about the weather. I never thought of it like that before! It’s amazing how we can change our mindset just by changing our perspective. Love it!

    -Andrea | So nice when you find a foundation that works for you! I have dry skin and I love Rimmel match perfection foundation.

    -Andrea | https://andreapeacock.com

    Reply

    • Yes it is all about staying positive and trying not to focus on the negative talk! Thanks for reading Andrea!

      Reply

  4. Staying positive is tough any time but there is an added level of difficulty when you don’t get enough sunshine in your life as what happens in the winter time.

    You are correct when you want to avoid negative talk. So many times people who state I cant or I have to go do are killing their motivation and positive light without even realizing what they are doing. You stated it so well in changing how you speak. Getting outdoors for a very quick scurry around the block can do wonders for your mood. That is if anything because you were able to breathe some fresh air and got your blood moving.

    Reply

    • I really struggle with trying to get sun everyday. But it’s really hard when I’m so busy at work and don’t have the chance to go walk around during lunch. That is why I take vitamin D pills! But I really should be taking walks everyday in order to stay healthy and active during winter. Thanks for your kind words!

      Reply

  6. Hey Lindsey,

    @varietytales here, first off great post! I agree with your points. Although, I really love, love your ” MAKE YOUR HOME A WELCOMING PLACE” section. This is super important. Entering a welcoming home in the winter makes everything so much better. To get me through the winter gloom, I love being able to feel warm at home, eat my favorite foods, have enough lights as well (like you) to feel calm, spend time with my family and watch my favorite shows/movies. Again, great blog post. Keep up the good work. Hope this comment goes through!

    Variety Tales | Stephanie Jay: https://varietytales.com/

    Reply

    • Thanks so much for your kind words! It’s very important to have a warm and calm place to come home to after being out in the cold!

      Reply

  10. Yessssss this is the best. I tell my husband all the time I have the winter blues – I think being cold is the worst! haha but this is definitely a good way to keep happy in the winter! And really all the time!

    Reply

  12. Good tips! My candles really help me a lot! Not only do I have the standard jar candles with nice scents, but I also buy tall tapers for all my vintage candlesticks. Seeing them all burning always makes me feel better. The other thing that has helped me is being on a later shift at work. I don’t go in until 9am, so I get that precious daylight to start my morning, and it’s so valuable to me!

    Reply

    • I have a bunch of candles in my apartment, practically one in every room. I lite them when I get home from work and they are burning until I go to bed. I love the way they smell and they are very calming when all the lights are turned off.

      Reply

  14. These are some great tips! I used to work ALL the time, so it would really bring my mood down when I had to go to work in the dark and get home in the dark. Luckily, I have more time now to go outside and enjoy walking my dog during the day. Sometimes I dread going outside in the cold, but I really enjoy it once I bundle myself up and go outside! 🙂

    Reply

  18. I completely agree with these tips! Seasonal defective disorder is a real thing that people struggle with during the winter months because of the dark and gloominess. SAD lamps are a great option to help combat this. My partner has one and it helps him so much on grey days because it gives off a natural looking light so you’ll be able to get the effect of being outside in the sunlight.

    I love your writing style too! 🙂

    Reply

    • I have always wanted to try those lamps because I have heard how much good it can do for you! Thanks so much for reading 🙂

      Reply

  20. It can be so hard to stay positive in the winter. I live in Michigan and we luckly do get some sunshine, but there have been times we have gone over 30 days without direct sunlight. Those times are so hard.

    Thank you for the tips, they are really helpful. One of my new years resolutions is to keep the negative self talk to a minimum.

    Reply

  24. Thanks for reminding us to stay positive, eat healthy — WASH our hands — and go find the sun. You’re right. The gloom will catch us if we let it. We must be our own sunshine during the winter months.

    Reply

  26. Such a lovely post to read and some really great tips on staying positive, happier and healthier in the winter! Love the tip of just taking little walks to get just a little bit of sunlight as it can do the world of good! Thank you!!

    Reply

  28. I’m always trying to stay active, it keeps me warm and it has it’s health benefits! Some great ways to keep positive in the winter weather! x

    Reply

  30. Thanks for sharing these tips. Winter and especially January is worst; dealing with subzero temperatures with no Christmas/ New Year/ holidays festive feeling to look forward to. It feels really great to keep my home warm and cozy with lots of soft lights, books and hot chocolates. Exercising is really needed to keep those endorphins (happy hormones) flowing in my brain to make me positive. Thanks for sharing this post.

    Love,
    Anjali
    http://www.laughingmirror.com

    Reply

  34. So many great points. There are times that you just have to get outside and take those deep breaths. Let the sun hit you, yeah it may be cold but the light hitting your eyes has a way of changing your mood. THen as you said take care of yourself. The act of just walking can do so much more as a mindset changer than any comedy on Netflix.

    Reply

    • Totally agree with this. It’s all about balancing your day between getting some fresh air and then you can go inside and watch Netflix!

      Reply

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