The trees lose their leaves and the nights are longer than the days. When nature gives up exhausted, we too retreat into our shells. Everything around us is gloomy, including our thoughts. Do you feel similar? Then you may be suffering from winter depression.
It is completely normal for the cold season with its cold weather to affect our mood. After all, humans are summer animals who love light and warmth. Even our ancestors retreated into their caves and houses in the fall and restricted their activities. The winter blues are therefore also a legacy of prehistoric times.
The decreasing day length is accompanied by a reduction in light. As a result, our body produces more of the sleep hormone melatonin and less serotonin. Serotonin deficiency is one of the causes of depression.
The condition is a seasonal affective disorder. This is the big difference to conventional depression, which occurs all year round. The symptoms of winter depression also differ significantly. While people with depression often suffer from a loss of appetite and weight loss, winter depression causes you to crave food. As a result, you put on weight.
An increased need for sleep is also noticeable. In other forms of depression, people are tired but still can't find any sleep. Sleepbecause they suffer from inner restlessness at night. It is difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. It's different with winter depression. You sleep far too long and can hardly get out of bed.
A mood in the form of mild winter blues is not automatically pathological, but rather normal. According to Prof. Dr. Hegerl from Deutsche Depressionshilfe, only one to two percent of Germans actually suffer from genuine winter depression.
Do you feel tired and listless all winter long? Do you regularly gain several kilos during the cold season? Do you sleep an exceptionally long time and do you pull the Loneliness of society? Do you find it difficult to leave the house and go about your usual activities? If these things apply to you, then you are probably suffering from winter depression.
Winter depression is usually less severe than conventional depression. In many cases, light therapy and positive thinking.
Your attitude to the cold season has a significant impact on your well-being. Think positively and remember the good things about winter. Look forward to Christmas and decorate your home with atmospheric lights. Get outside as often as possible, walk through the autumn fog, go on a ski vacation and meet up with friends. Keep reminding yourself how great it is to finally have enough Time to read a book and snuggle up in your blanket.
The lack of daylight plays a decisive role in the development of winter depression. Many psychotherapists recommend light therapy for seasonal depression. You expose yourself to a strong light source with an illuminance of 2500 to 10,000 lux for around half an hour every day. Around 60 percent of all sufferers notice a significant improvement in their condition after just one week.
Do you suffer from winter depression every year? Then prevent it in good time and start light therapy in October. Making the most of natural winter light is even better. Go outside as often as possible and get enough sun by taking walks in the snow. Your body also produces vitamin D under the influence of sunlight.
Take vitamin D if you suffer from winter depression. The sun vitamin is important for your bones and is produced under the influence of UV radiation. If you have a vitamin D deficiency, you will feel tired and exhausted. Your immune system is also weakened. Many people who do not feel well in winter do not suffer from winter depression, but from a vitamin deficiency.
The vitamin is also good for your psyche, as it plays a key role in the regulation of the brain messenger serotonin. It also influences the synthesis of noradrenaline and the utilization of dopamine. All of these factors lift your mood and improve your mental state.
Do you want to experience winter at its best? Then create your own personal feel-good program and have a really good time. Find the balance that will help you achieve greater happiness and satisfaction:
Incorporate times into your everyday life when you can indulge in creativity. Paint or make winter or Christmas decorations. Let yourself be inspired on your walks in the fresh air. You might find things that you can use for crafting, such as chestnuts, beechnuts and colorful leaves. Go stalking with your camera and capture great winter motifs.
Use part of your time for exercise. Exercise Sportsgo ice skating, do laps in the indoor pool, go jogging or work out in the gym. Many sports also promote sociability.
Give yourself plenty of rest in the evening. Take a hot bath, snuggle up in a thick blanket and watch a movie. Warmth is particularly important in winter. Make yourself comfortable and create an atmospheric ambience.
Meet up with friends, acquaintances and relatives. Go out for a meal together, have a chat or take a trip to the Christmas market. Maintaining friendships is especially important during the darker months of the year.
What lifts the mood the most are extraordinary experiences. Move your vacation time to winter and travel to a pleasantly warm country, such as the Caribbean or Dubai. A weekend at a wellness hotel or simply a visit to a buffet restaurant will also generate positive feelings. emotions.
For many people, darkness is the worst thing. Yet it gives you Security and it is best to concentrate on the most important things in a darkened room. Switch off the lamp and light a candle. Concentrate on the flickering light and let your mind wander. Think about a beautiful future and spring.
It is particularly important to ensure a good supply of nutrients in winter. A diet rich in vitamins and minerals contributes to your well-being. Think of the vitamin D that your body produces in the sun and that is also contained in herring, mackerel, salmon and egg yolk. Your serotonin levels rise with the help of the amino acid tryptophan. Fish, meat, nuts and cocoa contain particularly high levels of tryptophan.
Also make sure you get enough exercise. This promotes blood circulation, keeps you in good shape and keeps your body going. You also need physical activity to start the spring in good shape.
Focus on the good things about winter and take some positives from the bad. Enjoy the snow and take a stroll through the Christmas-lit streets on dull days. After Christmas, things start to look up again anyway. The light gains the upper hand more and more and the first snowdrops break through the earth in February.
Our tip: As we all know, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Go outside for at least half an hour every day. You will then not only feel negative, but also positive changesbecause winter does have some fantastic phases.
Do you suffer from winter depression? Then you should do something about it quickly. The best way to do this is step by step.
The first step is to become aware of the problem. Look inside yourself and think about what is going wrong. You're probably stuffing yourself with too many sweets and lying on the couch after work feeling lazy and sluggish. Work on changing this.
Create a daily structure and stick to a fixed plan. Make sure you integrate sport and times when you are outside in all weathers into your daily routine.
Take advantage of light therapy and expose yourself to light for at least half an hour a day. Buy a daylight lamp.
Decorate your home with stars, lights and green fir branches. Candles create a romantic atmosphere. Listen to your favorite music and use essential oils for an attractive room fragrance.
Eat lots of colorful lettuce and keep snacking on delicious fruit, not just for the vitamin content, but primarily for your psyche. The sight of green salad leaves awakens the desire for spring and drives away gloomy thoughts.
Keep your eyes on the future and start thinking about your next summer vacation. Browse through travel brochures or start planning garden parties and great activities now.
Take a trip to an interesting place at least once a week. This could be the zoo, the theater or the Christmas market. Plan a fixed day for this, for example Saturday or Sunday.
If you feel bad, don't bottle up all your grief. Confide in a friend or family member. Get your pain off your chest. In many cases, you will feel much better afterwards.
The cold season is not synonymous with dejection and frustration. With the right mindset, conscious self-care and healthy Habits you can turn winter into a time of personal development and inner strength. Use our Visions Challenge Workbook and promote your self-satisfaction.
