Tips to Beat the Winter Blues
Treat your holiday hangover.
No, we don’t mean the one you got from all those hot toddies (though many of us have been there, done that, too). We mean the post-holiday winter blues that tend to sweep in, come January. Many of us might be riding high on holiday joy with just a tinge of dread tarnishing the anticipation, as we remember a sense of blah that typically sets in sometime after the final strains of Auld Lang Syne. The good news? Seasonal blues are a real, true thing, and with acknowledgement comes opportunity to whip winter’s moods from melancholy to manageable.
“Seasonal blues are common but treatable,” says Lucy McBride, MD, a practicing internist with a focus on the intersection between physical and mental health. “The first step is recognizing the symptoms—low moods, low energy and decreased interest in things.”
From there, says Dr. McBride, a proactive approach can help to stave off winter’s full physiological and psychological toll. Her top tips (reinforced, we are satisfied to say, by this issue’s color commentary):
1. Move it.
Beyond releasing endorphins, regular exercise can help regulate body temperature and sleep rhythms.
2. Step out.
Even small doses of soaked-in sunshine can help reset our mood and defang a funk. We recommend taking inventory of your cold-weather closet to make sure that missing gear is never an easy excuse to stay indoors.
3. Light the way.
Consider using a light box or lamp (in consultation with your doctor) to augment your natural sun exposure. Best used within an hour of waking each day, the approach can help spur the brain chemicals we’re missing when the world goes dark in winter. We tend to lean on Wirecutter for recommendations in this realm, or try the Hatch combo machine in this issue’s Try It to combine getting light with getting up in the morning.
4. Call in reinforcements.
Asking for help hasn’t always come easy for those of us taught the virtues of independence, early and often. But once you reach a certain age, you realize how backwards it is to go it alone when the going gets tough. Whether a visit with your doctor, a few sessions of therapy or a scheduled walk with a friend (look at you, checking two boxes), there’s no shame in the support-seeking game.
As with much of adulting, the answers above may seem simple; the secret of their success lies in your consistency. With intention and repetition, the months before spring’s first fling will be more bearable than blue.
