When it’s cold outside we retreat like hibernating bears to our warm caves, except for necessary forays to the workplace and to gather food. Those caves can be awfully comforting when the weather outside is frightful, but indoor living can also lead to the blues or even depression. What to do?
The trick is to commit to doing something outside the cave. Something that you enjoy or care about enough to motivate you. Something that makes you want to get up and out of your cave and participate in the vibrant, real world. Here are some tried-and-true ways to fight back against that winter inertia and expand your mind/life at the same time:
- Be a temporary dog or cat owner: There are organizations that match volunteers with dogs and cats for various periods of time (called “fostering” – here’s more on that). This can also afford you the chance to find out if you would like to have a pet of your own, and meaningfully help out a local shelter. Research suggests that pet ownership leads to better mental and physical health, and the popularity of cat and dog videos on social media reveals how much all our hearts are opened by these furry beauties.
- Join a club: Doesn’t matter what kind – book club, knitting circle, music lovers, birders. Anything that you enjoy sufficiently to motivate you to leave your cozy cocoon. Being part of a group involves a commitment to that group, and the guilt about not showing up might be enough to propel you through the door of your cave. Or start a club in your own cave so you don’t even have to leave.
- Move your body: Yoga is a great indoor activity to help you stay in shape over the winter. For those who can’t or don’t want to yoga, tai chi is a marvelously graceful, meditative form of exercise. And if you crave something more aggressive, tai chi has a martial arts side you can gravitate to.
- Take a class: Find a seminar, talk or class in something that you’ve always wanted to explore. Jazz, female writers, movie making, screenplay writing, jewelry making. Take it seriously and it might lead to a whole new career. At the very least, you’ll meet people who share your interest and expand your social circle. If you’re in NYC, The Center for Social Innovation and the 92Y are both really good places to start looking.
- Volunteer: Local hospitals welcome volunteers to read to the elderly or children. Churches and community groups are eager to recruit people to help out in soup kitchens and take elderly folk to appointments. Animal shelters need help to walk dogs and socialize potential pets so they have a better chance at getting adopted. By helping others you will also be helping yourself, and the rosy glow of your cheeks will be matched by the rosy glow of your virtue.
And a few more just for New Yorkers:
- Explore NY: This wonderful city of NY has an ever-changing roster of events on offer daily, many of them free. Every Friday, the Weekend section of the New York Times lists a variety of things to do in all five boroughs. Concerts (rap, pop, classical – take your pick), movies, museums, comedy clubs, plays, walking tours – they’re all here. Arrange to do them with a friend so you don’t chicken out.
- Check out the new Whitney Museum: It’s crammed with young and interesting looking people and the art is amazing. Then walk the High Line to see your city from a whole new perspective.
- Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge: Why? Why not? It’s a fun thing to do that many tourists enjoy but locals don’t think to experience. And Brooklyn Park at the other end is awesome. End up by taking the ferry back to Manhattan and see your city from the water. It will make you proud and happy that you live here.
When all else fails and the winter blues persist… Count your blessings, plan a spring trip, and remember what the poet said – “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?”
I love this article, Frederica! Because the sun is out less, and the time it is out is usually spent inside at work, etc. we do not get enough vitamin D, as the sun is our main source. I have found that taking vitamin D capsules really does wonders for fighting this disorder, and the like, much more than a ‘happy lamp’ ever could. I honestly would rather take your advice on going out more, than to depend on a lamp to make me feel better.
Agreed – Vitamin D is too often overlooked. I also believe that the oil containing high omega acids is important for mental clarity and mood. 🙂
This is a good one, I suffer from this and didnt know it had a name until a co worker told me. My reply was ” you mean that same thing as that lady in the sad blue lit commercial?” ” yea you have s.a.d.s” I wanted to punch myself in the face for having something with such a *SAD* acronym, and being associated with an even sillier commercial LOL Thanks for the great tips! I’ll be sure to try each one and hope they help 🙂 xxo
I absolutely agree with you Frederica! Thanks for writing this helpful article. With days being so cloudy over the winter, anytime I see the sun poke though I like to go outside and let the sunshine fall directly on my face, even if it’s for a couple minutes. I also like to take the ornaments off the Christmas tree at the beginning of January, but leave the tree itself and colored lights up till the beginning of February. If I can make it to Ground Hog Day, I can make it through the rest of winter. 😉
Amazing article, thank you. Very helpful!
What I do: When it starts getting dark out when I wake up, I set a lamp in my room on a timer to turn on a couple minutes before my alarm. It helps to get up when it doesn’t feel like the middle of the night.
In the dead of the winter when it’s dark on the way to and from work, I make a special attempt to go outside on weekends to get some natural light.
There’s some evidence that a potential cause may be Vitiamin D deficiency due to lack of sunlight exposure. 1000UI Vitamin D tablets are inexpensive.
You’ve made an incredible point about going out, and staying active, Frederica. Last winter, even during periods of heavy snow, I made it a point to get out and walk at least one lap around the track between classes. The shock of the cold weather was less noticeable to me, and having a time of complete quiet to myself left me ready to study until my brain fried. The alternative being, on days when I didn’t take a walk, I felt much snappier and tense. I also burnt out more quickly.
I suffer from a pretty severe case of seasonal depression – it usually comes on after the new year, and doesn’t let up until April or so. Living in the Northeast definitely makes it harder to get enough natural light, and since I hate (participating in) outdoor winter sports, it’s sometimes a challenge to get motivated to get out of the house (2 feet of snow don’t help, either). Being a work-from-home mom makes it even more difficult. I find that when I’m kept busy (whether with social engagements or work), I’m much, much less likely to suffer from it. Good luck, everyone! 🙂
Home cardio equipment can be gotten VERY cheap on websites which sell secondhand stuff and Facebook groups. I’m sure as a stay-at-home mom you don’t often have the time or energy to use it but maybe having it around will help. I have an exercise bike I keep in front of the TV; I figure if it’s RIGHT THERE and i’m watching TV anyways at least sometimes I’ll be motivated to break a sweat while I’m doing it.
Hello, Frederica. I completely agree with your advice! I live in Rochester, NY, where winter is long and full of complaining by lots of people. I find the best way to beat the winter blues is to get into some outdoor activities. Last winter I played tons of pond hockey, got into cross-country skiing, and dabbled in some paddle tennis. Getting outside and embracing the weather instead of complaining about it makes a huge difference. 🙂
I’m with you on this. Frederica here is giving the right advice. 🙂 Living in Wisconsin, Winter Blues / Seasonal Depression is something difficult I have to deal with every year. The previous winter was a lot less stressful than years past for me due to several factors. I changed jobs and I am now a lot more active and get out and do things for my job, where my last job I was cooped up inside a data center for 12 hours a day, believe me, that is not the place to be for natural sunlight. Also getting outside and being more active and finding winter activities to do outside can help dramatically. I recently got into skiing and winter hiking. This keeps my mind busy, and although I still bitch about the cold, I just invested in some high end winter wear to keep me toasty outside. The bottom line is that you just need to get as much sunlight as possible and keep your work and personal life as stress free as possible.
I unfortunately suffer from winter blues when the winter hits and I’m usually able to curb it with some Saint John’s Wort. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those “nature cures all” new age cases, but the mild mood stabilizing effects seem to do the job. 🙂
I am speaking from experience here. I have been severely depressed for several months now, but I know exactly why I am. I had to see a psychologist even (unrelated), and he told me I needed to be on medication. Still though, I feel like taking meds would be “cheating.” It would be telling myself that I don’t know any better any more, I don’t know what SHOULD depress me and what shouldn’t. It is saying, yes, all this stuff is going on, but no, you don’t need to feel this way about it. If I do that I will lose track of how I should feel about anything…I will disconnect myself from my emotions, basically. And that’s where your article comes handy! You are giving tips and advice I couldn’t get from a professional! Thank you so much. Starting off today, I’ll try whichever ones that fits my schedule! I really appreciate this article. Thanks again.
I’ve started taking vitamin D for the first time due to winter depression, and so far I’m feeling much better, and I’m much less tired. But I was adviced to do some things this article mentions, such as exploring the city, meeting new people, getting a pet etc. So far works ok. 🙂