3 Keys to Preventing Seasonal Affective Disorder
January and February can be the hardest months of the year. The holidays are over, your driveway is covered in ice and the sun is setting at 4:45pm. It’s no big surprise that your mood tanks every year in mid-January.
What can you do to prevent yourself from sliding into the winter blues this year? Do you need to set aside your skepticism and plunk down money for an expensive sun lamp? Do you need to find a job that will allow you to work from Florida in the winter? Or do you need to just merge with your XL sweats and lean into the depressive inevitability of Seasonal Affective Disorder? No, no, and hell no.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (aka the winter blues) can be mitigated through active prevention in the weeks leading up to January. Now is the time to lay the groundwork for a happier winter in 2024.
Here are 3 keys to keeping your mood UP this winter:
1. Make plans now to stay connected during the winter months
If you wake up on January 1st and see an empty social calendar (no classes, no trips, no dinners with friends) you are going to pull the blanket over your head and stay in bed until March. You need to fill your winter calendar now with coffee dates with friends, tickets to a museum, a long weekend getaway, or enrollment in a yoga class. Research consistently shows that your happiness is inextricably tied to your level of social connectivity. Even weak social ties (chatting with the barista who makes your latte at your coffee shop) will boost your mood. So, make plans now to stay social through the winter.
2. Engage in movement that makes you happy at least 3 times per week.
Research also consistently demonstrates that physical activity is an important piece of what makes us happy. Too cold for exercise you say? January is the perfect time to try a new class at the gym. There are low-intensity classes (barre, gentle yoga, or dynamic stretching) or higher intensity classes (spinning, boxing, weight training) depending on which style you prefer. Commit now to being active during the colder months and your mood will thank you.
3. Get outdoors. Yes, even in Philadelphia.
The inclination to hibernate from the cold in your comfiest hoodie and sweatpants is natural. It’s ‘hygge,’ even. But hibernation from the outside world is terrible for your mood. If you spend more than 24 hours in your house without going outside your mood will plummet. Yes, it’s too cold for some activities (unless you’re one of those people who enjoys a Polar Plunge) but most of us East Coasters have a closet-full of coats, hats and gloves that make taking a walk or a hike relatively painless. Even a 15 minute walk around the block can decrease symptoms of anxiety and boost your mood. Throw on that parka, put a cute sweater on your dog and take a walk.
Having a depressive winter is not a seasonal inevitability. Make this winter better by taking control now to stay connected, stay moving and get outdoors. Your 2024 self will thank you!