Winter is coming. Or rather, it has already arrived. Seasonal Affective Disorder, literally called SAD, is a psychological depression caused by the weather. It’s typically due to a drop in chemical levels, like serotonin, due to a decrease in sunlight and activity. Avoiding the winter blues can be serious business. People generally think of winter as a time of relaxing, perhaps working a part time job, and for some a break from the buzz of campus and classes. However, with inactivity comes some serious mood swings. Here are the top three ways to take care of oneself during the winter months:
- Just because it is cold, doesn’t mean the running stops: Keeping a routine, be it exercise or otherwise, is one way to keep one’s circadian rhythm, or biological clock, from going out of sync. Staying active during the winter months not only means avoiding the holiday weight gain, but it also means keeping a biological schedule. If during the school year Wednesday nights meant working out, then keep that scheduled appointment with the treadmill. Keeping one’s clock straight also means trying to keep a bedtime. Similar to school where one might stay up during the weekends and go to bed earlier during the week, the same should be done during the winter without school in session. Also, staying active, meaning going outside, gives the levels of hormones needed to avoid seasonal depression from soaking in more sun rays.
- “Treat yo self”: Finding ways to make one happy can be essential to avoiding the winter blues. Whether it is binge watching Chopped, going hunting or finding the ultimate present for someone, make the time and the effort to do just that. Sitting around all day feeling purposeless is only going to make the winter blues last longer. Instead, find productive ways of keeping one’s mind active and entertained. Even taking up a new hobby or working on a project that has been put off due to the busy semester means more activity.
- Take care of the body: Winter translates to dry skin, itchy scalp and other annoyances during the cold months. It may seem like common sense, but products with added moisturizers like Shea butter can assist with the dryness. There are multiple products and brands that have facial and body moisturizers and lotions with added boosts. Honey and granulated sugar can also be combined to create an inexpensive scrub to have an abrasive effect on cracked feet or other dry spots. Whip up the sugar scrub and use it in the shower, or leave it on for fifteen minutes then rinse it off to take care of dryness, or even use it on chapped lips. Natural cures for colds, like herbal teas, can also be effective in keeping seasonal colds at bay.
