I grew up in the sunshine, and spent my summers by the beach. My favourite sound is hearing the waves crash down on the shore as I drift off to sleep. Moving to a cold..freezing cold country has been hard, I am not going to lie.
Our summers are hot and short and we tend to spend more time wearing coats and socks than in t.shirts. When I first moved here, it was fabulous and the first snowfall each season was such a treat and so special that no matter what time of the night or day it was, I was out there making snow angels with the first snow fall.
Fast forward many many years later and I want to stay under the covers with the first snow fall. The time February rolls around I am done, fed up and ready for the sun. This year, I found the winter extremely grey which I have found really hard. Here ,if the sun is shining and the skies are blue in the dead of the winter, it means that it is extremely cold outside. Grey days for the most part are much milder. At this point, I have no idea which is better, milder or freaking freezing?!
I do know that I have to force myself outside as I could easily hibernate like a bear, cook, sleep, eat, workout, shop online and never leave the house. But, I do know that this is not the answer to a healthy mind. If you are unable to leave the winter for warmer weather, here are my tips to surviving a long , cold winter:
1. Thank goodness for the dog….highly recommend getting a dog as it forces you outside daily in the winter to go for a walk.Walking is a great way to clear the head even if it does take a while to get dressed up to go outside for me and the dog!
2. I take Vitamin D daily in the winter as the sun is so scarce and the daylight hours short. When we are exposed to the sun, it helps produce Vitamin D and the lack of sunlight can impact our moods and fatigue levels. Vitamin D has also been shown to be critical for building bone, help with inflammation and infections . Foods that contain Vitamin D are dairy, salmon and oranges.
3. Move your body! Exercise is key in how we feel physically and mentally. I walk the dog once or twice a day and workout online.
4. Meditate or do deep breathing daily. I love the BREETHE app, there are so many different kinds of breathing, meditations etc for 5 mins or longer. Makes a huge difference to how you feel. Did you know that deep breathing decreases stress, lowers blood pressure and can help with digestion?!
5. Be social…. you do not have to go out all the time, but have people over, go see a movie, go bowling, do something with other people so you are interacting and being social , being with others is great for our moods.
6. Get enough sleep. As tempting as it is to stay in your bed all day, get out of bed pretty much the same time each day, open your curtains to get the light in , open the window for a short while to get the air in . Then do not get back into your bed until it is time to go to sleep. Sleep is so crucial to our overall health.
7. Remember, winter will leave and make way for Spring where the birds return and chirp happily which means Summer is around the corner.