While winter can be a happy occasion to some as they prepare to celebrate the holidays, it can cause a drop in mood, energy, and motivation in others- but what is it that makes you feel gloomy and tired during winter?

The main reason is reduced sunlight, which in turn affects your body’s internal clock. When there is no sunlight your body produces melatonin, a hormone that makes you feel sleepy and tired. Additionally your pituitary glands also secrete serotonin that destabilises your mood.

The cold temperatures and longer nights may also affect your overall mood and energy levels. You may, therefore opt to avoid socialiaing or even participating in physical activities. You also may end up adopting unhealthy habits that can negatively affect your health and lead to stress.

Here are some strategies you can employ to avoid falling into a winter slump.

Eat a Healthy Diet

When it gets cold your body may experience a craving for meals rich in fats, carbohydrates, and sugar. However, it would be best to avoid such meals since they will only make you feel energised for a short while and leave you feeling moody, tired, and lethargic.

Instead, get your body used to a healthy diet long before the start of winter. Your diet should largely comprise whole grains, plant protein, and vegetables.

You could try adding in CBD products too, as CBD has been found to have a positive effect on overall mood. Here is a beginner guide you can use to learn more.Delta 8 THC is another option that you could go for within the cannabinoid product family, though you will need to check its legal status where you are before you go ahead and purchase, as it is more tightly controlled than CBD. While Delta 8 may produce a slight high, it doesn’t get you as high as Delta 9 does

Exercise Regularly

As you start feeling moody and sleepy it is easy to drop any healthy routines you had created, such as exercising, and opt to stay in bed. However, you should avoid being sedentary all the time and exercise regularly. When you are sedentary feelings of unhappiness and low self-confidence can arise. When you exercise, your body produces hormones that can ease your anxiety and improve your physical and mental health.

Get Some Light Therapy

Rather than staying indoors, take advantage of any chance you have to enjoy some daylight. By exposing your body to sunlight you can readjust the sleep-wake cycle back to normal. Even though it may be cloudy just the exposure to natural light is key to better emotional health.

Get Enough Sleep

It is common to become moody and have trouble focusing if you do not get enough sleep. Your body requires sleep for it to heal your mind and body. Ideally you should sleep for not less than 7 to 8 hours every day. With enough sleep your body will feel more relaxed, allowing you to take on the day’s activities with enough energy.

Practice Relaxation Techniques

A winter slump can lead to the development of stress and anxiety disorder, both of which negatively affect your health. Try to raise your mood and energy by engaging in exercises that can make you relax or even try CBD gummies. Relaxation is the opposite response to stress.

You can employ relaxation practices that include mindful meditation, breath focus, visualization, yoga, tai chi, and qigong. Rather than sticking to one technique, you can try several to find out what works best for you.

Summing Up

Do you feel moody during winter? Your moods have a direct relationship with the winter weather. As it gets colder, your body fails to keep its complex chemical and biological rhythms in sync. As a result, you may feel tired, sleepy, and moody.

Failure to take charge of your body can lead to stress and even depression. However, you can fight the winter blues by keeping active during winter and embracing healthy habits such as having enough sleep and eating healthy meals.

There is no doubt that lockdown has posed challenges for all of us. We’re missing friends, it’s odd to see everyone in masks, and it’s virtually impossible to escape scary headlines. Despite the tough times, there have been silver linings. As we look forward to the future with a degree of uncertainty and trepidation it’s important to try and be positive. Here are some silver linings to focus on. 

Embracing a simpler life and valuing time

When the lockdown was first announced the vast majority of us suddenly shifted to a routine that involved spending all our waking hours at home. Pre-Covid-19, most people complained about a lack of time and being unable to take a rest or devote enough hours in the day to seeing their nearest and dearest or indulging hobbies and interests. Fast forward, and a global pandemic caused us to reassess what is important to value our time and to take the opportunity to spend more time with our families even if that meant hosting weekly virtual quizzes or spending an age on Facetime every day. With social events and work commitments cancelled, we embraced a simpler life, and for many of us, there was a sense of relief. Moving forward, we can learn from our lockdown experiences and use our time more wisely in the future. Try not to feel pressured into saying yes all the time or feeling like you need to have plans in the diary every single weekend. Take a step back, rest, and devote your time to people and interests that make you feel happy. 

Getting to grips with our finances

The Covid-19 crisis has caused most of us to think about money. For some of us it’s been a time to save, to cut out luxuries and to build a foundation for the future. For others, it’s been an anxious time with incomes reduced and jobs lost. If you are struggling financially, there is help available, and it’s best to tackle any problems head-on before they get worse. Getting into debt is nothing to be ashamed of, and it can happen to anyone, especially at a time like this when people are losing their jobs on a daily basis and it’s harder to find new roles. If you’re finding it hard to keep up with bills, your credit card balance is increasing or you’re thinking about borrowing money, contact your bank and look for advice on the government website. There are support schemes and programmes running, and you may be able to postpone or temporarily freeze payments or increase benefits. Take a look at sites like https://www.dtss.us/freedom-and-success-education.html for more information about your rights when it comes to dealing with debt, and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for advice. You can contact advisers at your bank or get in touch with debt charities. 

Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash

Focusing on our health and wellbeing

A pandemic is a stark reminder that we should never take our health for granted. Many of us have used the lockdown to get in shape and think about ways we can improve our physical and mental health and this will be beneficial for years to come. Making simple changes to your lifestyle can make a massive difference, and it’s important to understand the importance of looking after yourself. Make sure you get enough sleep, eat well, move your body more and take steps to protect your mental health. Surround yourself with positive people, find an outlet if you’re feeling angry, frustrated or worried and express yourself. Be creative, talk to a friend or a family member or go for a jog in the park. Have confidence in your own abilities, be kind to yourself and seek help if you’re struggling. For more mental health tips, check out this useful article https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/top-tips-to-improve-your-mental-wellbeing/.

It’s also been shown that CBD can help with mental wellbeing by calming the brain and supporting the hippocampus. A daily intake of CBD from a trusted retailed like Blessed CBD can help us maintain a healthy emotional state.

The Covid-19 crisis has been extremely tough, but there are some silver linings. Focus on the positives and use your experiences to work towards a brighter future.