An yearly trouble: Winter blues and tips for dealing with it
Familiar with it? When the days get shorter, greyer and colder, it would be the nicest just to fall into hibernation like the bears. You feel tired, powerless, unbalanced and yarn for sweets – the winter blues got you! Your body lacks light (with vitamin D), there is too much „sleep hormone „ melatonin formed by the body. Therefore we are feeling sleepy and lazy.
We Finns know the winter blues particularly well as the wintertime is dark and long in our country. Here some of our best tips against it!
Out in the fresh air!
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Get out to the fresh air!
Doesn’t matter whether it is raining, storming or snowing, a bit of daylight and oxygen do miracles.
Photo by nata_vkusidey on Getty Images
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Instead of chocolate, you can nibble with dried dates
They have plenty of carbohydrates and are sure to get to you into a good mood.
Decorate with summer photos!
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Colours and smells of summer
work against the grey feeling. Decorate your room with yellow and orange tones and light up your aroma lamp with jasmine or citrus oil.
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Yoga poses against winter blues
- Confidence: The L-pose is ideal to get prepared to handstand. Going upside down increases your energy and vitality. In addition in strengthens your shoulders. You can try out variations of this pose by lifting up one leg at a time. Taking your shoulder strength into account!
Energy from downward facing dog!
- Energy: Downward facing dog has a relaxing effect on our brain and brings energy to our bodies.
Strength from WarriorII !
- Strength: Warrior II Imagine being an ancient warrior: brave, courageous, Full of strenth and mental stability while doing your Warrior II pose. Do it for 5 breathes on each side.
Boost your digestion with twists!
- Digestion: Twist All poses with a twist, -for example Seated Twist -– z.B. der Drehsitz – improve the digestion and well-being of your stomach. Remember to breathe deep all the way to your stomach!!
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Try a sun lamp!
Especially living in the north, the winter is long, long, long. Bright-light therapy has been proven to be effective against winter blues. The lamp emits light similar to sunlight! Place one by your desk and let the light do its work!
Author: Kerstin Pingel
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More interesting reading:
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): How To Fight The Winter Blues Effectively
http://kriscarr.com/blog/seasonal-affective-disorder-treatment/
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/01/19/10-ways-to-fight-off-the-winter-blues/
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/inversions/qa-think-winter-blues-poses-can-put-better-mood/
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/health/lighten-2/
http://yogawithadriene.com/beat-the-winter-blues/
http://www.doyouyoga.com/5-yoga-tips-to-beat-the-winter-blues/
http://sciencenordic.com/beating-winter-blues
The soporific hormone
Melatonin is the body’s sleep hormone. It is secreted by the epiphysis, also called the cone gland or pineal gland. This gland secretes melatonin when we are in the dark, which means that during winter’s dark days, we produce more melatonin than in the summer. Research suggests that the overproduction of melatonin can lead to fatigue and depression.