December 28, 2021

Self-Care Tips for Winter Blues

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Once the holidays are past us, there are a few more dreary months before the brightness and renewal that spring brings. The colder air, shorter days, and gray skies tend to bring on the very-real seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

It’s estimated that one in every 20 people in the United States deals with SAD, so what can you do to turn SAD into glad?

Center’s Health Care has a look at fourDon self-care wellness tips you can adopt now to get you through the long winter months until spring has sprung.

  1. Make Your Bed

Mental-health experts agree: there’s not a much better way you can get your day off to a good start than by making your bed. Doing so gets your day off to a productive start, starting your day on a positive note and making a healthier routine a more realistic goal. Experts believe that it creates a domino effect and leads to other healthy and productive decisions throughout the day.

  1. Make Sleep a Priority

When you get up to make that bed, feeling well-rested makes all the difference. Studies show that three-straight nights of poor sleep can start leading to a deterioration in mental and physical health. Prioritizing 7-9 hours of sleep per night will keep you feeling sharp.

  1. Staying Social

Don’t keep yourself shut-in during the cold winter months. Even with COVID-19 concerns amid the omicron variant, if you’re fully vaccinated and boosted, it’s likely safe to visit others who are as well, unless it’s against the advice of your doctor.

  1. Don’t Stop Exercising

It can be daunting to want to brave the elements to keep exercising, but putting your fitness routine in hibernation during the cold months has a negative impact on your wellbeing. Studies show about 35 minutes of daily exercise can really be a major mood-booster, and it doesn’t have to be too intense. Finding somewhere to be able to walk, jog, do strength training, or swim during the cold months is a task that shouldn’t be overlooked.