Winter and your Mental Health

As the days are getting shorter with the onset of winter, your mental health may become harder to deal with. One of the leading causes is the reduction in sunlight, less time outside, leading to lower levels of serotonin, which has a ripple effect on your body with your mood, appetite and sleep patterns.

If this sounds familiar, what can you do to help yourself?

Exercise

Any form of exercise can act as a stress reliever; it can improve your confidence and mood, promoting mental well-being. So don’t let those cold, wet days stop you from getting outside, but if they do, consider something like yoga. A relaxing way to help with stress relief. The benefits have been known to ease stress reduce feelings of nervousness and enhance mindfulness. For these reasons, yoga has been considered to be beneficial for people with anxiety disorders, including panic disorder.

Sunlight and sleep

One of the best remedies for the winter blues is sunlight provoking the release of serotonin, which is one of those essential feel-good chemicals. It also affects the production of melatonin, which regulates our sleep cycles. Poor sleep, as you are aware, have a negative impact on your mental health. Add in the mood-boosting effects of exercise with some time outside might be the perfect tonic to help with those winter blues.

Laughter and Humour

Laughter really is the best medicine; it stops distressing emotions, helping you to shift perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening way. When laughing, it triggers the release of those important feel-good endorphins. Humour is an excellent way to stay positive and have an optimistic outlook in difficult situations. Seeing the funny side of a situation can ease anxiety and tension, relieving stress, which can improve your mood.

Eat well

A balanced healthy diet is an integral part of your overall mental health, so knowing what foods help with anxiety can help alleviate the symptoms of mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. Try not to be tempted by sugary ‘comfort foods.’

Stay occupied

As the long evenings are ahead of us, make the most of them by keeping your mind occupied – organizing, crafting even face timing with friends are all excellent ways to ward off rumination.**

**(Rumination is sometimes referred to as a "silent" mental health problem because its impact is often underestimated. But it plays a big part in anything from anxiety to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In psychology, the term means to obsessively repeat thoughts or excessively think about problems.)

Communicate

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, don’t wait till it spirals out of control; reach out for help from friends, family or through a professional. ‘A problem shared is a problem halved.’

Get outside and Exercise – take time out of your day to enjoy nature, and you will have a recipe for better mental health and relaxation.

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