7 Ways to Get Rid of the Winter Blues

Depending on what part of the country you live in, you may experience the winter blues. During the really cold months, there is less sunlight and there tends to be fewer outdoor activities and opportunities to gather with friends and family. This post offers 7 research-backed strategies to help you beat the winter blues.

***Disclaimer***The intent of this post is to help people who feel a little down in the winter months. It is not a treatment for any medical condition. If you find yourself in a serious depressive state or know that you suffer from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with a Seasonal Pattern (formerly known as seasonal affective disorder or SAD) please consult a medical professional immediately.

What are the winter blues?

Symptoms of the winter blues may be sleeping more than usual, craving carbohydrates and feeling tired, sad or irritable. For some, it can start as early as August when the days become shorter and there is less sunlight. Others feel fine through the holidays but start feeling blue right around the new year.

When you have close friends and family, the holiday season is likely full of special gatherings or fun trips, which support positive mood. If you don’t have many friends and family in your life, then the holidays may instead be a low point. It can be helpful to know when your low mood usually begins.

The Mayo Clinic suggests that we likely feel blue in the winter due to factors including our circadian rhythm as well as our serotonin and melatonin levels. Women and younger individuals tend to be more likely to experience the winter blues than men. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, those who live in the northern latitudes are also more susceptible.

The good news is that there are quite a few research-backed strategies you can put in place to beat the winter blues or at least lessen the severity of your symptoms.

Eat a Clean Diet

It is no secret that what we eat has a huge impact on our mood. We are learning more and more about this complex connection each year. The Mediterranean diet often receives praise for its positive impact on mood. Other research mentions the Paleo diet—the diets have quite a few things in common.

Most importantly, both diets focus on whole food diets and restrict highly processed food, wheat flours and sugars. The Mediterranean diet is known for its focus on healthy fats (like olive oil and avocados), veggies, quality carbohydrates (like sweet potatoes and quinoa) and adequate protein.

Sometimes wine is associated with the Mediterranean diet, but alcohol is a known depressant, so you probably want to skip it if you struggle with low mood. Alcohol also has a negative impact on sleep especially if you consume it during the evening hours. We’ll talk more about the role that sleep plays in mood later in this post.

You can set yourself up for success by avoiding inflammatory foods like sugar, grain flours, certain dairy products. According to a 2020 study, ultra-processed foods increase the risk of depression. If you are ready to clean up your diet, check out my related post, 8 Ways to Reduce Added Sugar in Your Diet.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise is an extremely valuable tool against low mood as it tells the body to release feel-good hormones called endorphins. While early studies focused mostly on aerobic exercise, in recent years evidence has mounted that weight training also improves mood among many other benefits.

Low to moderate intensity exercise may be the way to go as some studies show intense exercise can actually increase stress. As little as 15 minutes of exercise per day can positively impact mood, and activity as simple as walking can be effective.

It’s not as simple as the feel-good hormone release, exercise creates a chain reaction on many levels. For example, it can create community if you do it with someone else (e.g., walking buddy or group fitness class).

It also promotes confidence as you build muscle and/or lose fat. Another angle to consider is that exercise improves a number of physical health conditions, so you may just plain feel better which leads to improved mood.

I recently upped my exercise routine and doubled my weight training, and I have noticed my mood is much more stable and consistently good. While exercise at any time of the day is good, research suggests that early morning through late afternoon may be best if you ever have trouble falling asleep.

To bring things full circle, exercise actually helps you sleep better, and sleep is the next key component of positive mood we’re going to explore.

Achieve Quality Sleep

When we don’t sleep well, our mood suffers. When my kids were babies, I could vividly feel the connection between sleep, food and mood. As it turns out, when you don’t sleep well, your hormones become out of whack, and you literally have a harder time making good food choices.

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Research links shorter sleep times to increased ghrelin and decreased leptin. This hormonal pattern is consistent with decreased energy expenditure and increased appetite and obesity. I don’t know about you, but when I am tired and make poor food choices, it definitely negatively impacts my mood.

Sleep disorders are core symptoms of depression, so it’s important to do what you can to get quality sleep each night. One thing we can do is get sunlight early in the morning to sync our circadian rhythm. We’ll talk about light therapy in this post as sunlight is not always available depending on where you live.

Research shows that screens before bed can inhibit sleep, because it keeps our mind engaged and gives off artificial blue light that mimics sunlight. It’s helpful to create a quiet, cool, uninterrupted place to sleep. Bedtime routines, like the ones we create for children, can do wonders for adults too.

If you do use screens just before bed, try to avoid anything that may spark intense emotion making it harder to turn off your brain—think watching a thriller or engaging in a heated political debate on social media.

Get Adequate Sunlight (or use Light Therapy)

Getting outside, especially early in the day will help you sleep better at night. Sunlight also provides us with the ever-powerful vitamin D, which is also a component of positive mood. Some natural food sources of vitamin D are cod liver oil, tuna, salmon and egg yolks.

If sunlight is lacking where you live and you don’t consume many of those items, vitamin D supplementation is another option. Experts like Dr. Mark Hyman recommend taking vitamin D alongside vitamin K.

You may also want to consider light therapy. Light therapy tricks your body into producing vitamin D, serotonin and melatonin. A 2016 study found light therapy effective in treating depressive symptoms with and without the use of an antidepressant.

You can use light therapy in the morning for as little as 15 minutes and as much as an hour. People with sensitive skin or eyes are advised to use caution, and you should not look directly into the light when practicing light therapy. When choosing a light box, be sure to get one that is designed for mood as some are designed to treat skin conditions.

Here are two models that come highly recommended and are specifically designed to improve the winter blues.

Carex Day-light Classic Plus Bright Light Therapy Lamp

The Carex Day-light Classic Plus Bright Light Therapy Lamp provides the 10,000 LUX of glare-free white light. It has a flexible stand that can be angle downward. The description says that it blocks 99.3% of UV light. The description says the light box is based on the model used by global researchers and includes two light settings. The Carex comes with a five-year warranty.

Verilux HappyLight Full-Size – UV-Free Therapy Lamp

Verilux HappyLight Full-Size – UV-Free Therapy Lamp is another highly rated option. This option is more compact and offered at a lower price than the previous option. Like the Carex, it delivers up to 10,000 lux of light therapy and also has two light settings. The description states that the company has a US-based team with live support and a one-year warranty.

Practice Prayer or Meditation

If you are a religious person, you likely already feel strongly about the power of prayer, but it isn’t often talked about in a scientific context. It turns out there is data that prayer has a positive effect on mood. If you need a little guidance, check out this detailed post by Woman’s Day that rates the top 10 best prayer apps.

In recent years, there has been a huge focus on mindfulness, which can include a gratitude practice or prayer as well. Some, but not all, mindfulness practices stem from Buddhism. Mindfulness calls us into the present moment and can help us calm our mind and be less reactive to what’s going on around us.

Like prayer, there is data that mindfulness has a positive impact on mood. There are lots of popular apps to help your practice mindfulness or you can easily practice on your own. Here is a detailed post by Forbes that reviews the most popular apps of 2022.

Whatever your cup of tea (yes, you should also have a cup of calming tea with your practice!), being still, quieting the mind, being grateful, reflecting on what truly matters and all the like are sure to improve your mood.

Own a Pet

Studies show that pet owners are less depressed than not pet owners. This may be because pets help people feel less lonely. Another study shows that petting a dog for just ten minutes lowers cortisol levels, one of the two major stress hormones. In addition, petting a dog or cat (potentially other pets) triggers the release of the bonding hormone, oxytocin in the pet and the pet owner.

I was a reluctant pet owner and didn’t really get a pet until I was 37 (we had farm/outside animals growing up). Now, that I have a close bond with my two dogs, I can’t imagine my life without them. It reminds me of the adjustments you make when you have children. You make real sacrifices, but the joy they bring you is more than worth it.

One thing to consider is that pets absolutely add more to your plate and limit your ability to get up and go. Beware of this if you are already stressed out and overly busy. On the other hand, if you are lonely and not terribly busy, a pet may be exactly what you need.

Cultivate Community/Connection

We know without a doubt that being connected to other humans is important when it comes to mood. The National Aliance on Mental Illness says that community provides a sense of belonging, support and purpose.

This can look different for different people. For some, it may be a group of lifelong friends, a closeknit family or a church group. For others, it may be centered around the place they volunteer, their workplace or their favorite sporting event. While digital community can help some, data suggests that face-to-face contact is twice as effective in preventing feelings of depression than digital communication.

That’s a Wrap

I hope you learned something new and are at least a little more equipped to beat the winter blues if they come your way. If not for you, then maybe for a friend or elderly loved one. The long winter months can be especially hard on those who are unable to get out and about. As always, thanks for stopping by!