And just like that, it’s winter! The days are shorter, colder and they just seem harder. The lead up to winter seems to have made so many people sick, with the cold, dry air hitting us all in the sinuses. The dark mornings make it harder to wake up and start the day feeling motivated, when all we want to do is stay in bed just a bit longer. With the sun going down so early now too, it seems the days are just not long enough.
It’s around this time when we can really start to feel the winter blues coming on. I’ve seen how existing stress, anxiety or depression can become much worse during winter for some people. It’s really important that we don’t just try to prevent getting coughs and colds, but also ensure we are actively managing our stress and mood.
Here’s some ideas that come to mind:
- Keeping active – so hard in winter, but so important. Let’s get those muscles working and those bones and joints moving. It makes us feel less achy, more energised and gets oxygen back to our brain to keep us motivated and get all those good endorphins.
- Socialising – try to avoid hibernating, have friends over for dinners, find places with fireplaces, have games nights, watch shows together. Nothing beats the winter blues like a good laugh with friends.
- Warming food – its time to eat warm foods, soups, stews, stir fry, no more raw salads and cold smoothies. Cold foods slow down digestion and make us feel stagnant during winter. Warm, hot foods and drink will keep us feeling great.
- Projects – with more time indoors, start that project you have had on the back burner, use this time to be productive and work towards something you’ve been wanting to achieve.
- Trips out of town – get out in nature. It will be cold, but it will also be so still and peaceful to help get you grounded and put things in perspective.
If you need extra support, Naturopaths can use herbal and nutritional medicine to help support mood, calm and anxious mind and support energy. Your GP can help link you with psychologists with medicare rebates, and prescribe medication if required.
I am currently involved in an observational study investigating individualised herbal medicine prescription for Anxiety and/or Depression as it is practiced by Naturopaths.
Feel free to get in touch if you are interested in using herbal medicine for anxiety or depression, or wanting to know more how a Naturopath might be able to support your health, please contact info@trentwrightson.net
By Trent Wrightson – Naturopath
