Tips for dealing with seasonal blues

In these darker seasons of the year, the falling of leaves and thorny weather can feel more and more like pathetic fallacy. It’s cold, drizzling, and oh so easy to project feelings onto nature. These autumn and winter atmospheres – full of beaded rain, pale clouds of breath and coastal-level winds– are breeding grounds for sombre reflections. The perfect way to get a girl picturing herself as the troubled heroine of a 19^th century gothic novel. Oh the beautifully written romance of gloom!

Seasonal imagery aside, the natural changes occurring around us at this time of year can no doubt have a genuine impact on mental wellbeing. A reduction in daylight hours and time spent outside means less exposure to sunlight and outdoor exercise. The body’s biological clock can become impaired as a result of this, causing a potential faltering in the processing of emotions. Plus, all this builds up on top of a sense of isolation, which thrives when burrowed away during autumn and winter, being less likely to leave home and meet up with friends.

This feeling, however, should not be taken lightly. A constant sense of deflation, melancholy and low-spirit throughout autumn and winter is unfortunately widespread. Having mild levels of sadness in these months is given the term “winter blues” – a state that 20% of the UK population is said to experience. In severe cases, these blues can manifest as a deeper depression, clinically diagnosable as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). When living with a disorder like this, colder and darker seasons are dreaded with a more intense mental toll than often trivial complaints of weather.

Without claiming to have the one and only cure for these seasonal disturbances, below are some personal and light-hearted tips to hopefully help lighten the emotional load. But never hesitate to reach out to friends, family, the university’s mental health support services, or other professionals. You shouldn’t have to get by alone.

Stock yourself up with Vitamin D

During colder months we intake a lower amount of vitamin D from sunlight on the skin. Reduced exposure to natural light sources means our vitamin D levels are possibly on the lower side of stable, which can impact mood and – to be more scientific – the brain’s neuro-transmitter activity throughout the body. To supplement this lack you can try: incorporating more vitamin D rich foods into your diet (such as fish, eggs and mushrooms), taking vitamin D tablets, or even buying a lamp that replicates natural sunlight.

Schedule breaks

It is often easy to come to the end of a day of work and find that you haven’t actually unwound yourself from thoughts of plans, tasks and deadlines before sleep. To feel fully rested, having time to yourself, to do whatever relaxes you is key. For us uni students, blocking out our own time for work, there is often not time also blocked out for rest, to completely shut our brains off from the uni-centric thinking that trickles into ‘non-working’ hours. Dedicating time to yourself, to see where you are at mentally, and to restore, is so important and should be a regular part of the week.

Have set relaxation activities

Especially during days when the view outside is dark and bleak, retreating inside to a cosy, fun activity is like a warm, sustaining meal for the brain. Whether it be doing a hobby or watching a comfort film, designated activities can give you a joyful escape from the worst aspects of the season.

Do some gentle exercise

“Movement is medicine” is a wellness phrase one might find saccharine and preachy, but being able to move your body and exercise is truly a privilege and should not be taken for granted. Its impact on mental health is paramount, yet – of course – during the dark mood of the season it shouldn’t be a guilty thing to want to simply lounge. Gentler, indoor exercise like yoga, stretching and slow strength workouts can be helpful in maintaining fitness while not going too hard on yourself in a difficult period.

Embrace the season

Despite the blues of autumn and winter, finding seasonal joys among the gloom can be helpful in reshaping negativity into a Halloween-themed bake or winter craft. What else can one do but embrace these two seasons for all their qualities? Creating a kind of bucket list of seasonally-themed ideas to carry out across the months could find a lighter side to what is otherwise a dull crawl toward the must-be-‘happy’ pressures of festivity, acting as a welcome distraction. Autumnal activities could include: a horror film marathon, pumpkin carving or using seasonal veg in new recipes. Winter activities could include: designing your own advent calendar, going out for mulled wine or hot chocolate, or retreating indoors to read some classic novels set in the snow.

• mental health
• seasonal activities
• Seasonal Affective Disorder
• warwick university
• winter blues