October is here, and while we may still officially be in autumn, it certainly feels like the winter months are drawing in. Around this time last year I visited Denmark with a friend - the Nordic countries are famous for long, harsh winters, and people living there have had to get used to coping with them. While we were there we picked up a few tips.
Many people find they can struggle more with feeling sad or low in winter, and it’s no wonder: the weather is gloomier, we all get less sunshine, and people are far less likely to get out and socialise when it’s colder and darker. At this stage in October it can feel like the gloom will go on forever, as the comfort of the festive season is still quite a long way off.
That’s why it’s worth taking a moment to prepare for the winter season before it really hits , even if it seems like a very simple and obvious thing you’re planning for.
One of the biggest culprits for winter blues is the fact that people go out less. It’s cold, it’s dark, and an evening by the sofa beckons… But while a night curled up on the sofa is a lovely prospect, spending every evening until May either alone or with the same one or two people may not be the best thing for your mental health. A good motivation for getting out of the house every once in a while is to book something in advance – whether it be an evening class, a film, a one-off talk, or a free community event. If you’ve bought a ticket or told someone else you’re going beforehand, it will give you that extra bit of motivation to get those gloves on when the moment comes.
Exercise can also be more difficult if running or a walk in the rain doesn't appeal. Think about signing up for an exercise class or give in to the inevitable wet and take up swimming!
When winter hits, it’s all too easy for someone working office hours to go through an entire week without once seeing daylight. Get to work before the sun really gets up, eat lunch at your desk, leave work after dark. This is a terrible habit – your body needs daylight, whether or not the sun is shining, and just going for the odd walk at the weekends isn’t enough. Make a rule that you must get outside for 10 minutes or so every day – whether it’s at lunch time or a few minutes snatched between meetings. If you feel guilty stepping away from work, compare yourself to other people in the office who are smokers (if you aren’t one yourself). It’s considered perfectly fine to leave the office several times a day to go for a cigarette, so why can’t you go outside to get the vital daylight your body needs?
On that note, an important trick the Danes have mastered is taking vitamin D tablets in winter. If you live in Ireland it’s almost impossible for you to get the required amount of vitamin D from sunlight during the winter – there just isn’t enough sun!
Finally, it’s worth bulk cooking a few meals you can stick in the freezer in advance – stews, soups, casseroles and the like. Good, nutritious, warming food for those cold days when you feel a bit lethargic and can’t manage to bring yourself to get the pots and pans out – they’ll make you feel better than reaching for a frozen pizza (although there’s nothing wrong with having one of those every now and then too!)
The mental health charity Mind has some advice on preparing for winter if you find you often feel adversely affected during this season, which can be found here. Bear in mind that there is a medical condition, Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is a type of depression influenced by the time of year. The advice given here is just for helping you to get through the odd low mood in winter – if you think the problem might be a bit more than that, it's good to talk about it - perhaps consider speaking to your doctor. One helpful way of distinguishing between low moods and depression is to keep a diary, and monitor how often these low moods are happening.
Best of luck in your preparations, and remember, not everything about winter is negative! It can be very lovely too – what are your favourite things about Winter? Comment below to share your thoughts.