It's cold, it’s freezing, it's bitter out there, it's chilly as heck... Even if everyone doesn't use the same expressions when it comes to explaining one’s feelings in the face of the cold, winter can cause some real inconveniences.
Many people experience fatigue, anxiety and reduced vitality when winter and a truly cold spell sets in. This is called winter or seasonal depression.
Runny nose, sneezing, colds and seasonal flu are not there to make things easier for us. As human beings are subject to natural rhythms, the drop in winter light desynchronizes our internal clock and disrupts our secretion of melatonin, which is how we can see the first symptoms of the winter blues appear.
However, let's take a closer look at what positive psychology can tell us about winter stereotypes.
The benefits of light therapy
Used as a preventive treatment, light therapy compensates for the lack of light with synthetic lighting as soon as the first symptoms appear and helps prevent winter depression.
Doing the basics
It has been proven that in winter we are more susceptible to colds, flu and such like. Make sure you are doing your very best to look after yourself by eating seasonal vegetables and looking after your immune system and vitamin levels. Such basics as vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc are worth looking into. By looking after yourself, you can feel proud that you are handling the basics, and these can also help you beat the winter blues.
Cocooning in moderation
Even if spending time at home allows us to take care of ourselves, cocooning very often allows us to escape freezing temperatures and imperceptibly settles us into a routine where sofa, cushions, fleeces, without forgetting Netflix, become, or can very quickly become, our worst enemies. Do not hesitate to stick your nose outside! Wrap up really warmly, and go for a walk! Walking has been shown to be an exercise with incredibly therapeutic virtues.
Positive attitude, known as P.A.
Practicing a positive attitude invites us to get out of the habitual thought patterns, in order to adopt the whole art of P.A. You could kick it off by surrounding yourself with positive people in all areas of your life. Remember that the people that surround you impact your mood and your way of life, directly and indirectly.
Tools such as meditation and yoga can help you learn to appreciate the benefits of being able to control your mind.
Within the realms of non-verbal communication, we also find a great feelgood factor, one of good humor: the smile or the smiley attitude. Believe it or not, smiling actually works if you force it! Smiling releases endorphins, it remains one of the best natural pain relievers. During the winter period, smiling reduces stress and also helps improve the immune system.
Is a smile better than a long speech? A sign of self-confidence, a smile is also synonymous with good humor and good health.
Beat your stress
If you are feeling stressed or fatigued, don’t just leave it and hope it goes away on its own. These days, there is so much free information out there that can help you overcome stress, even sleep disorders and insomnia. There is nothing worse in winter than feeling tired and overwhelmed, if having to face the cold outside, or even look out of the window at the bare trees! So recognise if you are having problems and research what you can do to improve your condition. You can feel good you are trying to take matters into your own hands
And don’t forget to laugh, to smile, it's good for your health!
