Find Joy in Winter
Wintertime is a time for reflection and introspection, a time to rest and rejuvenate
By Dr. Rosina Linz, Psychologist, Mississippi Valley Health Network
Having moved from California to return to my native Iowa last year, I am experiencing my first midwestern winter in 26 years. While others tell me they pack up after the holidays and head for warmer climes, I am actually looking forward to what winter brings, and so can you. In California there is not the true distinction of the seasons.
One season often just folds into another. California winters are a rainy time of year and last maybe two to three months, the days are shorter, and there is snow in the mountains. Our Iowa winters are a distinct season lasting for at least five months – and it can be a long march to the glories of April.
Nature rests and so should we
Wintertime can be a time for reflection and introspection, a time to rest and rejuvenate. Seasonal changes can be times for reorganization, for increasing self-awareness and for reflecting upon your priorities, yet there are occurences of greater stress and potential illness or physical difficulty. Tension, illness and emotional distress, such as “the blues,” can happen when we resist seasonal change with negative thinking.
We need to accept that with winter comes an opportunity to adjust our expectations for the coming year. We need to find a balance in our daily lives and integrate our cycles with those of nature. We must learn to flow with the seasons and have a positive attitude.
It’s time we learned to embace winter , so we can re-energi ze and be ready for the joys of spring.
Some of the ways I plan on enjoying this winter season are building my practice, working on projects that I have been putting aside, spending time with family, sitting by a fire, reading a good book, playing outside and keeping warm.
The blues’ biological connection
However, don’t think for a moment that frustrations over seasonal change are all in your head. The shortage of light in the winter can affect our hormonal balance, contributing to the wintertime blues. We may feel low on energy, irritable, experience sleeplessness, and have reduced interest in social activities. There is a growing body of research suggesting that bright light stimulation does have a significant impact on the functioning of the human brain. And it appears that maintaining normal levels of brain chemicals such as serotonin and melatonin has come to rely, in part, on getting a certain amount of bright light stimulation each day.
Winter’s changes can affect our mood and how we feel. Some people become more depressed due to lack of light. In addition to the shorter days, winter blues may result from failed expectations of the holidays, the inability or lack of motivation to stay active, or frustration with the cold weather. (For information on the different causes of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, and depression, see sidebar on page 15.) There are opportunities that winter offers us to stave off the dreaded short, dark, blustery season. We need to become more conscious of the change of seasons and prepare our body and spirit for the coming year. We need to move from resistance to acceptance of winter and pay more attention to our natural world.
In the past, society was much closer to nature and we have moved away from that. We have gotten too busy doing other things in our lives and forgotten the important role nature plays in our well being.
As the natural world comes to rest at some point, so can we, yet we tend to resist it. It’s time we all learned to embrace winter, and seek the solace, rest and rejuvenation these cold winter days are giving us. Soon enough we will be ready to enjoy spring with a renewed spirit for the coming year.
Relax, Rejuvenate and Embrace Winter
- Get plenty of sunlight, particularly early morning light. Regulate your sleep so you go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
- Exercise outdoors if possible. Get at least 30 minutes daily. Exercising outdoors for one hour is equivalent to 2 1/2 hours of light therapy. (special lights)
- Develop healthy eating habits. Eat fresh vegetables and fruits when possible. Proper diet helps to stabilize mood.
- Consider aromatherapy. Lavender is a good scent to alleviate depression. Bath salts and candles are good for calming and balancing emotions.
- Stay in touch with family and friends. Don’t withdraw. Be with the people you want to be with, not those you feel obligated to be with.
- Use particular colors around your home or wear them. Red, orange and yellow invoke images of fire heat, warmth and happiness. Treat yourself to fresh flowers to remind you of summer.
- Try something new. Start or finish the scrapbook in the closet. Read the book that’s gathering dust.
- Incorporate more spiritual components into your life.
