3 Simple and Effective Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

Seasonal depression is a real thing. It happens when the sun starts shining a little less and the temperatures start dropping a little more. Have you been wanting to curl up into a ball covered by a mountain of blankets everyday? Have you been catching yourself researching tropical islands to visit or even move to? It’s easy to fall under a spell of sadness from this undesirable weather. So how do we turn these winter blues into something more positive?

Here are a few simple and very effective ways to help you kick the winter blues to the curb and start embracing the cold weather, because as we all know winter is something that happens every year and is not going away anytime soon.

1. Move your body.

3. 2. Start a new hobby

4. Picking up a new hobby is another effective way to abandon the winter blues. Try something new that you wouldn’t normally do in your day-to-day life.

6. Cooking is a great hobby to take up during these months. Especially cooking warm, cozy, filling foods like stews, soups, casseroles, pies, and so on. Chicken wild rice soup is one of my winter staples I love to cook! From cooking your own meals you are able to know exactly what is going into your body, you will be able to save money instead of dining out every other night, and a homemade meal is a great way to impress friends or that special someone in your life.

7. Other hobbies that you could try out would be cozying up and reading books (for fun or educational purposes), learning a new language, drawing, painting, writing, photography, making jewelry, dancing, acting, and learning a musical instrument, just to name a few. The possibilities are endless.

8. When starting a new hobby I suggest searching the Internet on how to get started or ask friends who have similar interests. Then I would suggest checking out various books on the topics that you want to learn. You can even look up local classes in your community that teach your new hobby. You’ll not only learn a new skill, but you’ll meet like-minded people and make new friends, which is also a great way to distract you from the unwanted weather.

3. Talk it out

So are you ready to tackle the winter blues? There is nothing more important than your mental health. So if you are unhappy, do something about it. You must be the one to provide your own light in your darkness. Don’t let yourself be consumed by negative thoughts brought on by the weather.

Remember, you are not in this alone and this too shall pass, but instead of waiting for the birds to start chirping and the flowers to start blooming to feel better, there is no better time than the present. Remember to embrace the winter, move your body, take up a new hobby, and talk about your feelings. We’ll be here supporting you the whole way!