If you are feeling tired and a bit down, then you may be suffering from a case of the Winter blues. All of us are prone to feeling a little depressed during the Winter. Below are 23 ways to life your spirits during the Winter Season.
- Sleep with more covers at night. Keep yourself warm and comfortable so you can sleep better.
- Host a get together with friends. You might find yourself missing the company of your friends who seem to be hibernating for the Winter. Host a fun event at your home and invite friends over.
- Do your spring cleaning early. Since you may be holed up for the Winter, take some time to sort through your things, clean up your place, de-clutter your home and donate or recycle some of your old possessions.
- Exercise. Don’t neglect your exercise even if it’s snowing outside. Your gym membership is likely most valuable and needed during the Winter. If you don’t want a gym membership, then jog or take a walk outside. When I lived in Iowa, I got into the habit of taking the dog out for a nice jog most days of the week, even when it was snowing and freezing out. Make sure to have snow appropriate gear on and remember that as your heart rate picks up, you’ll feel much warmer.
- Learn something new. Class may not be in session during the majority of Winter but that’s not a reason that you can’t continue learning or developing a skill. See if there’s any classes you can take before the next term begins or sign up for free classes offered online.
- Get a massage, facial or just have a nice spa day.
- Take a holiday. During your Winter, there are other parts of the world where the sun is still shining and the weather is nice and hot. If you can afford it, plan a nice holiday somewhere warm. You don’t even need to fly to another country. You can even go to another city where the temperatures are a bit more moderate.
- Catch up on movies. Sometimes I just want to curl up in bed and enjoy a nice movie when it is freezing outside. If you don’t have time to go to the movies or watch movies normally, use the Winter as a time to catch up on favorite television shows or movies you haven’t seen yet.
- Meditate or reflect on your life.
- Visit a museum. Even though it is Winter, that doesn’t mean you still can’t get out and enjoy your city. Visit a museum or other sights that you can enjoy indoors.
- Get more sun. Sunlight not also gives you more Vitamin D, but also improves your mood. You may be feeling a bit sad because you aren’t getting as much sunlight as you should. Try to take a walk outdoors sometimes and let the sunlight come through your windows.
- Try a Winter sport. Although Winter may not be your favorite season, there are many people who love the Winter partially due to the Winter only sports. Try something new like skiing, snowboarding or ice skating. Even if you don’t enjoy doing those sports, you can try watching an ice hockey game instead.
- Get more rest. Many people have the desire to sleep more during the Winter but still maintain their active schedules during the warmer months. You don’t have to throw out your fun schedules, but do try to make more time to catch up on sleep.
- Lean on your support network. Sometimes feeling down during the Winter months can be inevitable. When you are feeling particularly down, know which friends you can rely on to help pick you up over a coffee or movie outing.
- Do something kind towards others. Actively being kind during the Winter will help you realize that there is much in our lives to appreciate and there is so much love you can give year round.
- Wear bright colors. Go against the current Winter trends and break out your yellow, pinks, baby blues, greens and other amazing bright colors. What you wear can impact your mood. Always wearing darker colors may start to influence your mood and make you more nostalgic about the prior summer. Mix up your wardrobe and add bright colors.
- Work on a project. Being indoors may be a great opportunity to invest in projects that require you to be indoors usually. Winter can be a great time to get some amazing writing done or to work on your music collection. Your creativity doesn’t have to go out the door just because it is snowing outside.
- Make your living area warm and inviting. Work to keep your living area clean and clutter-free. During the Winter months I love to light scented candles. The candles leave such a wonderful scent and the candles tend to make me more relaxed during the Winter months. Do what you need to do to make your home more inviting and comfortable.
- Eat healthy. The cold weather can make many of us prone to over-eating and craving unhealthy foods. Continue to eat healthy during the Winter. The type of food you are eating can affect your mood. If you are finding yourself eating too many unhealthy foods, then that may be part of the reason for you feeling a bit down during this time of the year.
- Catch up on your reading. Winter can be a great time to get back into books you have been wanting to read but haven’t had the time for lately.
- Catch up with your loved ones. Maybe it has been awhile since you’ve had a nice chat with the relatives. Take some time to call your parents or siblings during this time of the year.
- Enjoy hot beverages. Pour yourself some nice hot chocolate today or have your regular coffee or tea. Personally I always look forward to a hot cup of tea on a cold Winter day.
- Grow plants indoors. For the fellow gardeners out there, Winter can be a bit of a sad time as there are no plants around to care for during this time. However, gardening doesn’t have to end in the Winter. Try having some indoor plants and place them next to sunny windows.
- Listen to upbeat and cheerful music. Good music will improve your mood tremendously.
Winter doesn’t have to be all that bad. When you work to try to change your attitude towards Winter, you’ll start to feel your mood improve and each day won’t be as much of a struggle. Anyway, Spring will be here before you know it. Enjoy the rest of your Winter!