In many parts of the country it’s snowing (my brother has been enjoying lots of snow in Chicago, for example), and down here it’s sunny and in the 50s. While we are having a super easy winter in terms of weather, it’s also been my best winter…. EVER.
A few posts ago when I reviewed my bright light lamp, I mentioned that winter is not my favorite season. I’ve struggled with low moods, depression, and sluggish feelings for almost every winter, ever. The worst period of my life was when I got stuck in the constant cycle of winter for several seasons between moving back and forth between the US and NZ. It was miserable to feel those things constantly for months and months on end.
Here’s how I’ve managed my best winter EVER:
Using a light lamp for SAD. I don’t have an official diagnosis of SAD but it’s probably because I never looked at how symptoms lined up with my doctor before. I definitely have noticeable “winter blues” during the winter months and a pattern of this over the course of my life. This is my first winter using the NatureBright SunTouch Plus Light and Ion Therapy Lamp I purchased a few months ago. It’s been life changing for me. I honestly was at my wits end when I bought it because I felt that familiar misery of the winter months coming. It has helped regulate my sleeping habits, gets me going in the morning, and improved my moods with consistent use. There aren’t many products I can say this about, but it really was worth every penny. I’ve included affiliate links to this product from Amazon where I bought it so you can read more or look for other light therapy lamps. (I bought this particular one because it had a bigger area for light and that was important to me.) If you’ve struggled with bad sleep patterns and low moods during winter, a light lamp is definitely something worth trying to help.
Supplements. I’ve detailed my struggle with lagging energy before. It’s usually worst in winter which is why I’m happy I found a supplement regime that worked for me earlier in the year. I continued to take my vitamins and these helped me stay energetic and feeling my best this winter. I consider Advocare Spark one of my energy supplements and use it pretty regularly as a type of “pre-workout” that gives me the energy to workout for longer periods.
Exercise. A lot of winters in the past I’ve gone into hibernation mode where exercise was the last thing on my mind. This honestly only made things worse since the endorphins and energy I get from exercise are desperately needed during winter months. This year I kept my gym membership active and forced myself to go 4-5 times a week. This ended up meaning a sporadic schedule where some weeks I would workout in the morning and some in the evening. However, the consistency really helped me with feeling energetic and happier. Sure, I grumbled a few times walking into the gym during the cold, but having that place to workout that wasn’t freezing kept me motivated and active.
Support system. Over the last year my support system of loved ones and friends has grown tremendously. Having a lot of people around me who I love to spend time with and hangout with has been really rewarding and made the holidays this year so wonderful (seriously my BEST Christmas as an adult). I’ve loved adding new members to my family this year and can’t wait as we add more. Between a large connected family and lots of friends, I’ve realized planting roots is the best thing I could have ever done.
Attitude adjustment. I’m lucky that some of the people in my support system are great at lovingly telling me to adjust my attitude. That simply means that sometimes my perspective is the only thing needed to make a situation better. Over the last couple years I’ve picked up some habits that have really helped with this like keeping a gratitude journal, saying thank you more often, and taking time to appreciate little things in life. Having this attitude helped me appreciate some of the winter days where I felt anything but chipper. Having a good attitude makes a lot of hard life situations and periods of life a lot easier. Promise.
Living somewhere with a mild winter. I know not everyone can or wants to do this, but living in a place with a relatively mild winter really works well for me. Memphis gets cold but it hasn’t snowed this year other than a couple flurries. We might get one snow or ice storm per year but overall it’s a very mild season here. I appreciate that and it definitely helps me to have warmer weather last longer and come sooner than it does in other places.
So that’s how I’ve managed my best winter ever! Sure winter isn’t over yet but I can spring just around the corner and I’m so excited! Just a few more months to go and I’ll be enjoying my favorite season of all: SPRING! Patios and birthdays and sunny days await. ;)