With the clocks going back, the grey skies and shorter days can bring with them a low mood, dubbed the ‘winter blues’.
Here are 5 simple ways to mitigate the winter blues:
- Wake Up Alarms
Waking up for work gets that much harder during dark mornings. Using different types of alarm clocks can help. Alarm clocks such as Lumie Lamps have an integrated light which recreates sunrise before the alarm sounds. This gives you a headstart on a gradual wake up and makes it easier to get out of bed. Another option is to use apps such as Sleep Cycle. This free app allows you to set a half-hour window that will wake you up in a light sleep phase.
- Supplement Vitamin D
When the temperature drops, warm clothes are on, and so our skin no longer catches enough sun for producing vitamin D. This essential vitamin is a protective factor against a number of diseases and helps regulate mood and immunity. Vitamin D can be bought in dropper bottle form to make it that much easier to take each day through winter.
- Topical Magnesium
Stress can quickly deplete magnesium in the body making it that much harder to relax and therefore cope with everyday life challenges. Although tablet-form supplements are available, magnesium is absorbed well into the skin. Magnesium balms can be used to ease sore muscles or put on the skin routinely before bed. Having epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) baths 2 times a week is a great way to relax and replenish your body with this essential mineral.
- Fascia Release Therapies
Tension from day-to-day life gets stored in the fascia of the body, which is the connective tissue webbing, particularly around muscles. Fascia is an extension of the nervous system, so having body work, such as massages, acupuncture and myofascial rolling to release it has a body-up impact for a happier brain.
- Reassess Beliefs
Autumn and winter are times to reflect and restore ahead of the New Year. Emotions triggered by negative thinking can lower your overall mood, but this is the perfect time of year to reassess your beliefs. Beliefs are judgements you are making as an interpretation, rather than a direct reflection of actual events. Reassess your beliefs by taking a ‘negative’ event and see how you could re-interpret the event in a more beneficial way.
As the clocks are turned back, these 5 simple tips will see you through winter by supporting a resilient mind and body.
