Winter Blues

Here we are again, deep into another Minnesota Winter! Only 2-3 more months to go before the sweet relief of warmer weather and longer daylight hours are here again. 😉 But for those of us that struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), 2-3 more months can feel like an eternity.

This past Fall, I prepped a little extra in an effort to make the long-haul of this year’s Winter experience more enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong, Winter has it’s enjoyable perks. I love slowing down to a pace where I can really hear my thoughts and contemplate the dreams I have for this life. Marty and I love being snuggled up warm in our little house, with candles lit and our little fire stove cranked up, to enjoy our indoor hobbies – things like watching movies, reading, getting creative with our culinary skills in the kitchen, listening to audiobooks while I paint and he makes bird feeders (or whatever the chosen craft-of-the-day is). We like losing track of time while we sink into these enjoyable pastimes that really we don’t have (or take) time for during the other warmer months of the year.
However, about mid-january is when I start to feel the sluggish, stiffness of the depth of Winter. Of course I credit some of it to flushing out the sugary treats from the holidays… But I notice that I’m not getting out into nature nearly as much as I intended for those snowshoeing and cross-country skiing outings I was so looking forward to as Winter was approaching. I notice that my stride is shortened to more of a shuffle whenever I go outside, usually encountering icy driveways and sidewalks. The temptation to sleep in instead of getting up early to go to the walking track before work is strong!

Now that the holidays -and holiday vacation – is done, it’s time to get back into the swing of a steady, healthy routine! Right now is precisely the time to implement all those Winter-prepping ideas I had gathered up last Fall.
Here are the majority of those ideas…
* Making sure my Vitamin D levels are good with periodic blood testing and Supplementing as needed.
* Rather than leaning on caffeine from Coffee or Black tea to get me going in the morning, new for me this year is a ‘DayLight’ lamp. It’s a very bright lamp that mimics the sun light, giving off 10,000 LUX (units of light). I first heard of it in interesting detail from Dr. Alan Christianson in his book “The Metabolism Reset Diet” . He says the sun gives off over 20,000 LUX and triggers things in the body like a boost in cortisol level, telling our body it’s time to wake up and it helps with Vit D production. The average house lightbulb is around 60 LUX – not quite enough… So, I’m strategizing with my DayLight lamp. Each morning around 6am I sit under this very bright lamp at my desk for 20 minutes (while I journal or read or touch up a painting) or so to trick my brain/body into thinking the sun is up, and so should I be as well.
* Getting out and moving! Snowshoeing, skiing, winter hiking, making a snowman, going to the gym or local community center’s walking track, walking cardio-style in the mall or school’s gym (somewhere where you don’t have to worry about ice) and doing plenty of stretching to stay limber is SO helpful to boost one’s mood and feel more comfortable in one’s body.
* Sauna time. Hot tub time.
* Making Hygge – the art of being cozy. Light some candles, have some enjoyable music on, snuggle up under a blanket with your favorite book or movie or person or pet, do all the indoor things you enjoy within an environment that’s spruced up to your extra liking.
* Journal, meditate and find intentional purpose in life.
* Spend time with people you love and enjoy.
* Get a massage or two. 😉

Feel free to keep adding to the list.

Happy Wintertime everyone!
Christine Nordquist