Everyone can get a little blue from time to time during the winter months, but if it’s ongoing, it may be Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Consult with a doctor or therapist about treatment schedules.
To help limit the number of blue days during the winter, here are three tips to making winter a little sunnier.
Brighten up every room, any way you can.
Open blinds, trim branches that block windows, add skylights, or repaint the interior of your home or office space with bright colors. Make your environment sunnier and brighter. And, whenever possible, try to sit close to bright windows in your home or office.
Find any excuse to get outside.
Even if it’s cold out, put on that coat and go outside during sunlight hours. Take a long walk during a lunch break, feed birds at a park, or go window shopping. Even on cold or cloudy days, outdoor light can help — especially if you spend some time outside within two hours of getting up in the morning.
Exercise, exercise, exercise.
Whenever you work out, your body sends endorphins, which send signals to the pleasure center of your brain. Being sedentary, as easy as it feels sometimes when it’s cold and dark out, doesn’t help lift your mood. If you exercise regularly, be it walking for twenty minutes or running a marathon, your mood will be lifted, just like the weights in the gym.
And, if you still need help getting through the winter, you can always ask for help from family, friends, or a trusted therapist.