10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues

10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues Introduction 

10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues. Now that the holidays are over, it is time to talk about the winter blues. Because it is something we all experience and struggle with in one way or another. 

The holidays are both a busy and exciting time. We get caught up in being busy, planning family time, buying gifts, Christmas lights, decorating, parties, and all the other fun stuff that comes with the holidays. 

We don’t really pay as much attention to the fact the air is colder, the sky darker, the trees are bare. 

Then January comes and everything slows down. The decorations come down, we get bored, flu season hits, there are no more parties and delicious desserts to indulge in. 

It is a lot easier to notice just how dark and cold the world is because we have so much more time on our hands. It is easy to become a house hermit and kind of hibernate during the winter months until the weather starts to warm up. 

But after a while, cabin fever can start to set in, we get more antsy, bored, and even cranky with each other. That is what inspired me to create this list of 10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues, because I always wonder every year what I’m supposed to actually do in January when there is nothing to really do. 

Once January 1st rolls around and the holidays are officially over, I’m ready for summer. Let’s skip right from January to June, or I think to myself I want to live somewhere where it is summer all year long. This happens to me every year, because I get wrapped up in being busy, my family, friends, and everything else that comes with the holidays. It is really easy to get stuck in a rut and not know exactly how to climb out of it. 

Are you ready to embrace winter? Come on in and let me tell you about my 10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues. 

10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues 

Go Outside 

I know this one is difficult, because I struggle with it myself. It’s cold, dreary, dark, and just yucky outside. I’d much rather be curled up on the couch under a blanket reading and staying warm. It takes some serious effort to bundle up and go outside for some fresh air. 

The funny thing is that once I actually do it, I’m beyond grateful that I did. The fresh air is amazing, and I stop to appreciate the crisp refreshing air. Sometimes the sun will even make an appearance when I go out, even just for a few minutes, and that makes me smile. Like the sun knew I was going out and needed to see it. It reminds me how grateful I am to see the sunshine. 

There is a reason this is tip number one on my 10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues. It really is just that important.

Take Your Vitamins 

Vitamins are absolutely essential in the winter months. 

Fresh healthy vegetables aren’t in season and much less accessible. Plus our bodies often crave hearty comfort food, which often isn’t as healthy as eating fresh fruit and vegetables. 

It is also flu season. Which means that is making the rounds, and if you have children, you know you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a bout of the flu make its way through your household. It is what it is, and there is no stopping it, but taking good care of our bodies will lessen the impact and length of time we are sick. 

Which vitamins do you need? My favorites for winter are vitamin D, C, and Zinc. 

Vitamin D is essential because we are often more deficient in the winter months because we are not exposed to daily sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to many unwanted illnesses, including autoimmune disorders and has a large impact on the immune system. 

Vitamin C is beneficial in helping to fight off the nasty cold and flu that spreads in the winter months. Vitamin C is also essential to iron absorption. 

Zinc is kind of an all-around helpful vitamin because it supports so many vital body functions. It is good for your hair, skin, and nails, it helps give you energy, supports immune health, and so much more. 

I’m not a doctor, nor do I claim to be anything close to it. But from my own personal experience, Zinc was the one vitamin that really helped me get over the hump of the side effects of Covid and finally start to get better. Because I had almost two weeks of nothing changing, no getting better, not getting worse, just stuck. That was my experience, and one of the reasons I recommend Zinc. 

Blue Lights 

Blue light therapy is something that has been clinically shown to reduce the winter blues and give you more energy. 

Sunlight is essential for many reasons, and it is hard to get enough on cold and dreary days. 

These lights can be set on timers to help you. Use it on your nightstand to help you wake in a happier mood, or use it in the dining room during breakfast to help start the day in the right mood and give yourself an extra boost. 

Eat Healthy 

It is no secret that we tend to overindulge in the winter months, and it isn’t the healthiest choice we make. Our bodies want comfort food, hearty food that sticks to the ribs, and indulgent foods. 

Try to eat more fresh foods like fruits and vegetables to help your body feel more energized.

Being a prepper, I have simple options for food in my house that are processed, like boxed mashed potatoes, for example, or canned vegetables. I’m not a fan in general, but I think they have their place, and will often rely more on the freezer and pantry in the winter months. But I also really try to pay attention to having at least one fresh element on my plate with every meal, and that can be as simple as including a salad. 

Sometimes just being more aware of what you’re missing in your diet will help you include those things more often. Ask yourself when the last time you ate a fresh vegetable or piece of fruit was, and even just making it a point to include those in your meals once a day is better than nothing, and your body will thank you for it. 

Practice Gratitude 

Gratitude is the best attitude to have. 

One of my favorite things to do is take the time to think about Christmas and the memories of it. Remembering my nephew’s face light up when he opened our gifts was simply amazing. 

Thinking about all of my accomplishments over the past year and the progress I’ve made in my own personal development is a great way to be grateful. 

When we are bored, it is easy for our minds to start wandering off in dark directions and start seeing only negative things. I’m bored, the weather sucks, somebody was a jerk to me in traffic, everybody hates me, the list goes on and on. Oftentimes it is stupid stuff that shouldn’t even be remembered in the first place because it doesn’t matter. 

Start taking notice of positive things in your day instead and be grateful for them. When you focus on the negatives, that’s all you’re going to see. When you focus on the positives, that’s what you’re going to see. It is all about your mindset and what you allow yourself to see. 

Enjoy Family Time 

Time spent with family and friends is worth every single second of it. During the slow winter season, take time for the people in your life. 

Play board games or watch old movies together snuggled under a blanket. 

Put down your phone and spend quality time with the amazing people in your life, and focus on being grateful for that time. 

I am constantly grateful to have a friend to reach out to when I’m feeling alone, they’ll come pick me up and I can go cuddle their two amazing puppies. I get to simply relax, do whatever I want, and just be there. In the winter time, this is essential to me, and I know to ask for that help. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your family and friends and ask to spend time with them. It is good for everyone. 

Start a DIY Project 

During the winter, we all want to stay inside where it is warm and comfortable. Why not utilize that time to do something productive? A great DIY project could be the answer! 

I always have a list of projects that I want to work on, and never enough time. Or, I don’t make enough time, which is closer to the truth than I don’t have enough time. How are you utilizing your time? Is it spent on your phone aimlessly scrolling through social media? Or are you using that time to do something productive? If you say you don’t have time, stop and think about how your time is spent each day. 

You can also use this time to clean and declutter since you’re inside the house. A clean space is a happy space, so there is no reason not to tackle a decluttering project you’ve been avoiding. 

Another great option is taking the time to learn a new skill or start a hobby. If you want to learn to crochet, this is the perfect time to do it! Try something new. You may be great at it or fall in love with it. You never know. 

The best part about everything I’ve talked about in this category is the feeling of accomplishment you’ll get when you are finished. That is one of my favorite ways to beat the wintertime blues, finding something to do, finishing it, and knowing I accomplished something. That is just one of those unbeatable feelings. 

Take a Winter Getaway 

Sometimes the cabin fever just gets to be too much and you need a change of scenery. Check out areas near you, within an hour or two, that you can take a weekend and escape to. 

Spending a weekend away may be just what you and your family need to refresh and recharge, and go back to daily life with a much better attitude. 

In the winter, travel and tourism is at a low point, so a weekend getaway may not be as expensive as it is in the peak of summer, and that means you save some money! You don’t need to spend a fortune, you just need a little escape. 

Throw a Party 

Chances are you are not the only person experiencing wintertime blues and hibernating. Your friends are likely in the same boat. 

Why not drag them out and help them by throwing a party? Celebrate everything, because life is too short not to, and we really don’t need a reason to throw a party. Just do it. 

Have all your friends bring a potluck style dish, choose a theme, play some great music, laugh, and have a good time. Sometimes hospitality and a comfortable space is all you need to provide. The rest takes care of itself. 

Put Down Your Phone 

When we get bored, it is really easy to just open our phones and open social media for some mindless scrolling. That mindless scrolling usually yields at least one interesting article, which has a ton of comments. So what do you do? You start reading the comments to see what others have to say, despite the article not being all that fabulous once you read it or glossed over it. But the comments are always more interesting. 

Before you know it, you’ve lost an hour reading comments as people argue with each other, become keyboard warriors, and call each other names. Now you’re in a foul mood because you found at least one egregiously infuriating comment and you don’t understand how one singular person could possibly be that stupid to say what they did. 

Raise your hand if this has ever happened to you. If you’re not raising your hand, I’d vote you’re lying to yourself here. Because it has happened to everyone, and I’m not shaming you here, as I’ve done it myself. I’m totally guilty of going down the rabbit hole that is social media. 

That is why I say to put down your phone. Take a break from social media. When you’re bored, that is the absolute last point when you should be scrolling through social media and getting lost in it. Because it isn’t going to improve your mood or chase away the winter blues. It is going to exacerbate the problem. Because you’ll end up reading negative comments, comparing your life to your friends, beating yourself up for things that don’t even matter, and thinking everyone on your friends list has a perfect life except you. 

Take a break and focus on yourself, your gratitude, and the positive things that are happening in your life. You deserve to be happy, and you won’t find that happiness or gratitude on social media. You’ll find it in the people actually in your life, your friends and family, your hobbies, your own self-confidence, and so much more. 

10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues Notes 

10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues. Winter is a difficult time for many people. Be kind, because you never know what someone else is struggling with. Be kind to yourself as well. It is okay to have struggles and reach out for help and support. Don’t be afraid to talk about it. 

I really hope these 10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues have helped you in your own journey through the wintertime. It is a weird time, and I’m always ready for summer once the holidays are over. But we still have time before we get there. I want to make that the best time, and I want the same thing for you. 

10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues Discussion 

Have these 10 Easy Ways to Help Beat Winter Blues helped you? Is there anything you would add to the list of tips to help other people? What is your favorite way to beat the winter blues? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!