6 Winter Mood Boosters

Holly Zynda
Published: December 29,2016

Men jog in blizzard-like conditions on January 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Beware: winter is coming! The Northern Hemisphere is headed into its denizens’ least popular season, with just 11% of Americans naming it their favorite. The plummeting mercury, grey skies, and lengthening nights contribute to a variety of ill effects, including low mood, a decrease in energy, even withdrawal from friends and family — a cluster of symptoms that affect some 14% of Americans as a relatively mild “winter blues,” although as many as 6% experience a sufficient degree of dysfunction to be diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Feeling cheerful yet? If not, don’t fret. We’ve got some ideas to boost your mood throughout the season, no matter how hard Jack Frost is nipping at your nose.

Take a Hike

The great outdoors are often touted as a cure for all that ails with good reason: exposure to nature, even just photographs, produces restorative effects on both the mind and the body, reducing stress and anxiety, and increasing positive feelings. Maximize that boost with a walk in the woods. Not only is walking some of the most accessible exercise (and exercise is a proven mood-booster in and of itself!), walking through green spaces lends itself to what many people recognize as a sort of mindful meditativeness, and what psychologists call involuntary attention, or the ability for something to “[hold] our attention while at the same time allowing scope for reflection,” which decreases our mental fatigue.

Get Hygge with It

Facing up to seventeen hours of darkness per day in the depths of the season, it’s fair to say that Denmark knows winter. So when Danes say that they survive their below-zero temps by indulging in hygge, we’re listening! And although the closest English translation is “coziness,” it’s far more than that: hygge (actually pronounced “hoo-ga”) is an atmosphere created by the warmth of friends and family, and the joy of simple comforts. It’s the perfect antidote to the suffocating sense of isolation experienced by many during a bout of winter doldrums, and research increasingly shows that friendship really is magic: people with stronger social networks may literally live longer, and maintaining a social life is “paramount to long-term positive outcomes” in the elderly.

Feast Well

‘Tis the season for carb-loading, as Pinterest boards and tables groan under an assault of endlessly delicious morsels. And while there are endless suggestions for the kinds of foods to eat to optimize health, from antioxidants and “smart” carbs to wine and dark chocolate, the science appears mixed on the impact of food on mood. So indulge, just be smart about it: keep carb-heavy meals balanced with plenty of your favorite fresh fruit and veg, and proteins cooked just the way you like ‘em.

 

A woman jogs in the snow outside the White House in Washington, D.C.
(NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Cultivate Gratitude

In this time of thanks and giving, it can be easier to remember to express our appreciation for the good things in our lives, but cultivating an attitude of gratitude that goes beyond the holidays can benefit our lives in ways that seem truly miraculous. People who consistently practice gratitude report stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure, and research shows that gratitude increases happiness and decreases depression.   

Light Up

That is, get a light box. Light therapy has become a mainstay of treatment for SAD, due in no small part to its remarkable effectiveness—it’s at least as effective as antidepressants alone in patients with SAD, and gets results faster. A lightbox, or a light room, if you’re lucky enough to live near one, simulates natural sunlight, and most people can gain benefits from even twenty to thirty minutes of exposure. Morning exposure seems to work best, although if the idea of bringing a light box to the breakfast table doesn’t sit right, a dawn simulator device may be a viable alternative.

Seek Assistance

If your blues have persisted over at least two winters and are interfering with your ability to live a normal-for-you life, or if you think you have SAD, it’s important to have yourself professionally evaluated. Seasonal Affective Disorder may have a silly, too-apt acronym, but it’s a medical cousin to Major Depressive Disorder, and some treatment options, including SSRIs and other antidepressants, may only become available with an official diagnosis.

Holly Zynda is a copy editor, proofreader and writer with a lifelong passion for the written word. She owns and operates Owl Intermedia, a content production and editing company, and has provided writing and editing services for companies ranging from GoPro and Reputation.com to The California Environmental Protection Agency and Genentech.