If you’re looking for some solutions to beating the winter negativity and understanding the science behind it, we have just the article for you.
During the colder months, you may find yourself experiencing winter blues and generally not feeling as happy as you might be during the warmer months. This happens to many people, and its main cause is human sensitivity to the lack of sunlight that winter’s shorter days bring. There is, in fact, a scientific reason for this! Limited exposure to sunlight disrupts your body’s natural circadian rhythms, or your internal clock. This change leads to increased melatonin production, a hormone that regulates sleep patterns and has been linked to depression.
Additionally, where you live may impact your mood and general outlook during the winter season. Very few residents in Florida experience seasonal discomfort: about only 1% reported feeling any type of winter-related slump, compared to almost half of northern US and southern Canada residents.
Luckily, there are ways to combat these feelings! It is scientifically proven that getting out into the sun and spending more time outdoors can help decrease melatonin levels in your body, allowing you to feel more energized. Even sitting near a window when you’re indoors can help cheer you up. Regular exercise can also make you happier, since exercising releases endorphins that trigger positive emotions such as a feeling commonly described as “runner’s high.”
Furthermore, sticking to a healthy diet during the winter can help you manage food cravings and reduce weight gain. If you’re looking for an extra challenge, you can always try making a meal using ingredients that are in-season or cook that recipe you saw a few weeks ago but never got the chance to try. On snowy winter days, making a hot cocoa or hot apple cider will surely provide some extra warmth.
Spending more time with friends and family can boost your mood as well. Social interaction is key to lifting your spirits in the cold of winter. With modern communication methods, like our phones or computers, technology can also serve as a mood improver when the roads are too icy. With the stress of school in mid-winter, it can be difficult to get the recommended eight to ten hours of sleep nightly; but if you make the extra effort to achieve it, you may feel a decrease in irritability and have a clearer thought process during stressful assessments.
If you’re really stuck in a slump though, it may be helpful to change your schedule up or set smaller goals for yourself. Sometimes when you do the same thing every day, your schedule can start to wear on you and increase a lack of motivation. So, try to start up a hobby that has always intrigued you or take part in more opportunities as they come. Switch things up a bit! Another factor that gets a lot of people down is the feeling of not achieving anything. This issue mostly arises when one sets unclear or overly broad goals for themselves. Setting smaller goals will give you something realistic to cross out each day and likely motivate you to continue completing further goals.
Works Cited
- https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression#:~:text=Endorphins%20also%20trigger%20a%20positive,and%20energizing%20outlook%20on%20life
- https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/HealthU/2018/12/14/eight-tips-to-increase-your-happiness-in-the-winter#.Yga3L9_MLD4
- https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/beating-winters-woes