With winter in India setting in, I feel the same way as Albert Camus did…
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
As the length of days gets shorter, long cold nights tend to grapple us. In such situations, even the chirpiest of us can get a little down. Depression, lack of motivation, low energy levels and a host of other issues all come together to make you a victim of "winter blues". Nevertheless, you can easily combat the blues and come out with flying colours; just pull up your socks and get going with the tips given below.
Work out
We don’t need a reason to stay healthy and in shape, and exercise isn’t just only for maintaining our weight. It’s one of the best ways to give one an emotional lift to relieve the stresses of life. If you can't set aside time for an actual workout, get active in simple ways for instance, take the stairs instead of the elevator and do some household chores. Physical activity effectively stimulates brain chemicals that may help to make you feel happy. Regular exercise will also make you feel better about your appearance and thereby, boost your confidence.
Sun Therapy
Sunlight not only provides us with Vitamin D, but also improves your mood. Make it a practice to expose yourself to sunlight as soon as you wake up in the morning. Winter days are shorter and therefore darker than other months. Though we all like basking in the sun during winter, the cold weather forces us to spend less time outdoors. It is believed that exposure to sunlight releases neurotransmitters in the brain, which affects the mood swings. Therefore, spend more time outdoors to avoid depression.
A healthy diet
Try to avoid everything marked as 'processed food' which not only ruins your metabolic rate but also affects your mood and energy. Replace white breads, rice, and sugar with whole brown rice, wheat breads and honey.
It’s a healthy practice to act on resolutions to decrease the number of depressed days since there is a connection between healthy behaviors and depression. You might tend to take recourse in alcohol on a depressed cold day but don’t forget that alcohol is a depressant and will make things only worse for you. Besides binge drinking, one should also avoid smoking to avert any kind of sick or tired feeling. Treat your body at regular intervals, it needs your attention as much as your loved ones do. A day at the spa, some sports or even a girls or guys night out, is not a bad deal at all!
