Banish Mid-Winter Blues by Nurturing Yourself

(published in Vitality Magazine February 1999)

by Deborah Ferris

February can be a tough month for all of us with its short hours of daylight, cold temperatures and slushy snow conditions. The Christmas holidays are long over, winter is definitely here to stay and it is a long time until the next vacation. You wish you could take a break somewhere warm and sunny but your bank account says that's out of the question. If you are feeling blue, tired or just plain stressed out, you can still treat yourself to mini breaks and take steps to shake those mid-winter blahs.

The most important thing you can do is to nurture yourself. That means taking the time each and every day to do the things you love and the things that help to reconnect and revitalize you. Even if you only spend 20 minutes a day nurturing yourself, it's still worth it health wise.

Here are some ways to nurture yourself and beat the mid-winter blues.

1. Take time to renew yourself

Take time to pamper yourself and renew yourself daily through mini breaks and fun activities.

Take a leisurely bath or an afternoon nap on the weekend.

 Curl up by the fireplace with a fun book or get a friend or relative to give you a massage.

 Bundle up and go for a hike along the river or in the woods.

 Buy yourself some flowers or a flowering plant to remind yourself of the beauty that surrounds you.

Go to a matinee of a movie you have been meaning to see or rent a movie that you have always wanted to watch.

Book a treatment with your favourite healer.

Whatever you do, find things to do that are enjoyable and that recharge your batteries. This is about renewing and honouring yourself.

2. Physical exercise

Make exercise a priority and you will reap all kinds of benefits. By taking time to exercise 3-5 times a week for 20 - 30 minutes a session, you can increase mood-elevating hormones and reduce stress.

For example, a brisk walk in the fresh air can do wonders to lift your spirits and get oxygen circulating throughout your system. You can even walk during your lunch hour so that you get the benefit of being outside in daylight hours, a real plus in the winter.

If you prefer the discipline and social aspects of a class, you might want to try one of the Eastern practices such as tai chi or yoga. Both are slower styles of exercise that stretch and oxygenate the body and will help you feel more peaceful and balanced.

3. Proper Nutrition

By paying attention to the food that you are eating, you can help reduce tiredness and stress. Healthy, nutritious foods can elevate your mood and keep you functioning at your best.

This is a great time of the year to eat wholesome, warming foods like stews and casseroles made with fresh vegetables, complex carbohydrates and some lean meat if you aren't vegetarian. Don't forget to continue to drink eight glasses of water a day to keep your body well hydrated.

You will also want to watch your snacks -- nibbling on lots of sweets and large consumptions of meat protein and refined carbohydrates like white pastas can leave you feeling sluggish, tired and even depressed. As well, you will want to keep up your energy level with vitamin and mineral supplements. Equally important is taking time to really nourish your body by sitting down to three meals a day. This is a time for honouring the body by feeding it the foods it deserves.

3. Meditation

Make time every day to spend some time alone in meditation, prayer or in nature. By connecting to spirit, you bring peacefulness into your life -- an excellent way to combat stress or the blues.

Meditation lowers your heart rate and blood pressure and can leave you with a sense of calmness as you connect to the deepest part of yourself.

You can also spend time chanting or saying a mantra over and over to reduce stress and bring about a stillness within. Try to practise for 20 minutes to 1 hour at the same time each day and pick a time when you aren't exhausted or sleepy.

4. Reduce perfectionism and busyness

If you feel like you have too much to do and not enough time to do it all in, it is definitely time to take a break and really examine all this busyness and perfectionism. Maybe you don't need to do everything on your "To Do List". Maybe you can delegate some of the chores at home and some of the office work to someone else, so you have more breathing space. This is a good time to remind yourself to slow down and get in touch with your body.

Here's some tips for doing just that.

Take some slow deep breaths and really feel your body. If you are sitting, feel your feet on the floor and your buttocks on the chair. If you are lying down, feel your whole body sinking into the floor, letting go of any tension. This will help to ground you.

Close your eyes and continue to take in some deep slow breaths for three to five minutes. Remember to do this throughout the day for a few moments. It will help to relax and energize you and keep you more centred.

5. Better communication with yourself and others

If you are feeling tired, frazzled and stressed out, you might want to look at how you talk to yourself as well as how you communicate with others. Negative self-talk can really slow us down leaving us feeling separate from others and lacking in vitality. A good practice is to pay attention to your thoughts throughout the day.

When you realize that you are thinking a negative thought about yourself, jot it down in a note pad and then think about something positive and up-lifting. You can also replace negative thoughts and beliefs with positive affirmations that ring true for you.

Another technique to stop negative thinking is to put your palm on your abdomen, breathing in deeply and ask yourself: "What am I afraid of right now?" and "What do I need to do right now to get connected back to my centre?".

It is also important to communicate to others your wants and needs and no less so when you find yourself feeling tired or stressed out. This is not the time to avoid talking to others about problems or conflicts nor is it the time to react with excessive pent-up anger either.

If you stay clear within and communicate your needs, then you can resolve differences more satisfactorily and deal more easily and effectively with troublesome challenges.

One of the key things to remember when you are caught up in the mid-winter blues is that you deserve to take the time for personal fun and to connect with yourself and others on a heart-level. Take time to be with yourself and to love and care for yourself.

You will be giving yourself and others a tremendous gift. The result will be a happier, more relaxed and vital you.