Summer might have left you feeling relaxed and refreshed but with a long Winter ahead it’s important to think how you can feel happier and healthier during the cold months. Bad weather, cold temperatures and grey skies can make anyone feel a little down, but here are some tips to keep your spirits up.
- Have a good sort out
With the cold spell rapidly approaching, you’re likely to spend more time indoors, so why not have a good sort out by selling or recycling anything you don’t want any more or checking out RSS in Heathrow and other parts of the country? Storage units are the perfect place to keep big, bulky items that are taking up too much room in your home and will help keep everything in order. Cabin fever and claustrophobia can easily set in when the weather’s not so good, so it’s well worth doing all you can to keep your living environment as organised and comfortable as possible. - Bring out the crock pot
When it’s cold and rainy outside, what better way to warm up than with a healthy, nutritious and delicious meal? Slow cooked food is a real winner during the Winter season as not only will it keep you full and happy, crock pot dinners will fill your home full of mouth-watering smells that are sure to get the taste buds tingling. What’s more, with many crock pot recipes to try out you won’t be short of choice and if you prepare all the ingredients the night before and pop them into the cooker in the morning, your dinner will be ready when you get home for work! - Don’t be a hermit
After a long, hard day in the office it can be all too easy to pull on your onesie and hibernate under your duvet in front of a good film. This is all well and good (especially when it’s cold and dark outside) but you could always invite a friend round for company. Face-to-face social interaction is not only good for the soul but with someone to laugh and joke with you’re sure to feel far more content than if you were facing winter alone. Sure, sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of time to yourself, but try not to be a complete hermit and stay as social as possible for the benefit of your health. - Combat SAD
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – sometimes referred to as Winter depression – is a condition that tends to begin in autumn as the days are getting shorter and last until spring. Symptoms include being in a persistent bad mood; losing pleasure in normal, everyday activities; irritability; feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness; lethargy; sleeping for longer than normal; craving carbohydrates and gaining weight.
While this condition can be serious there are many things you can do to improve your mood such as getting as much natural sunlight as possible, eating well, exercising regularly and managing stress levels through yoga, pilates or talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural.
Many people also visit their GP for prescribed medication or use a special lamp called a light box, which effectively replicates sunlight and can help improve your mood.
While the Winter weather can be a mood killer, the above tips will help you feel happier and healthier at home when the mercury drops.
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