Managing The Winter Blues

As I write this week’s column, it’s dark at 5pm, it’s cold and it is raining heavy. Winter is here. While dark nights beside the fire can be cosy, they can also be long. The cold, damp air does impact how we feel, especially when we experience week in and week out.
Thinking about the winter blues reminded me of a woman who used to come to my meditation groups two years ago. An extreme case of being affected by winter is someone like this who had Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a mood disorder subset in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year, most commonly in the winter. Coming to the weekly meditation group helped this woman and she didn’t experience symptoms for the first time in a long time.
So how can we mind our mind throughout the winter? Learning to effectively relax by activating the parasympathetic nervous system is part of giving your body a chance to resist the winter blues. Last week I spoke about having a wellness plan in which you’ll have your list of relaxation and wellness methods. Examples of relaxation methods include massage, reiki, meditation, yoga, exercise, diet, music, walks in nature during the day, journaling and spending time with family and friends.
For help relaxing from stress contact Tracy from Relax From Stress Holistic Centre on 086-2202734 or visit www.relaxfromstress.ie.
Published in the Connaught Telegraph newspaper on 21 November 2017