Thread: Natural Remedies for Winter Blues

It happens to so many of us every year: the dreaded Winter Funk. Until the days get longer, you're lethargic, bummed and totally out of sorts.

As if I don't have enough to be stressed about with a possible move, it's hard to even feel motivated when you'd rather hibernate. I felt wonderful when I was in FL for 2 weeks; not so much when I returned home. Ugh! At least the move will most likely be someplace warm ,r:;

Bhuzzers, what are some good natural mood-enhancers for the winter season? I'm writing my shopping list for the health food store. SAM-e, fish oil, vitamin D. What else has worked? How about things like full-spectrum light bulbs?

Who else is sick of winter? ,r:;

No supplements are going to alter your mood: go outside or exercise.

Rather than deny your environment, interact with it.

I started walking every morning for the past 2 winters (rain, shine, snow, whatever) and that, coupled with rigorous physical activity, staved off the stinging aspect of S.A.D. and helped maintain a steady level of endorphins.

In winter I like, when I can get a chance, to take the occasional long hot bath while reading an entertaining paperback novel and smelling the scents of naturally scented lavendar and/or eucalyptus candles placed on the side of my tub. Does this make me feel tremendously more energetic? Maybe not. Does it make me just feel good? Well yeah.
Rosette

Both good answers.

I suppose it's better to get moving and get some vitamin D from the sun than to give in to the urge to veg out.

And long, hot baths are always a treat! ..g.:

Vitamin D supplements and Fish Oil supplements are said to help.

Go outside, then come back in and take a bath.

Now we're talkin'!

use citrus scented products in your bath (grapefruit is good). Coconut, tiare too.

Sometimes I rub sunscreen on my wrists bc the smell reminds me of summer and the beach.

Good call! Tropical scents and nostalgic aromas are so great for lifting the spirit ..g.:

Originally Posted by Azhia

No supplements are going to alter your mood: go outside or exercise.

Rather than deny your environment, interact with it.

I started walking every morning for the past 2 winters (rain, shine, snow, whatever) and that, coupled with rigorous physical activity, staved off the stinging aspect of S.A.D. and helped maintain a steady level of endorphins.

I have to say I agree with this, tho I am prob not as rigorous...it def helps to get outside. It's hard to go for a walk becuz the sidewalk are piled with unshoveled bizarre snow & ice formations, but it really helps me. Before my dogs got too old to enjoy long walks, that was something that I liked doing in winter.
I've lived in the NE U.S. most of my life. I hate winter more every yr ..cr.: I don't do winter sports. [too paranoid about my dancer legs] I visit South Beach Miami every Feb or Mar & I liiivvve for that!! Renews me.
O.T.:And, may I add, Satinworship, will you please write a book "The Wit & Wisdom of Satinworship". I mean it! I love your comments! I'll publish it.
This Xmas I got hubby "What Would Keith Richards Do?"

I find that going swimming/sauna/steam room makes a huge difference. For once I'm actually warm! I just make sure to bring really warm clothes so I don't get cold going outside again. I also do the bath thing with potassium salts infused with clove, ginger, or cinnamon so there's an extra element of heat and I love the smell. Also, if I want berries and they're $6, I won't deny myself. It makes me so happy to have strawberries or raspberries in the dead of winter.

I fixed my winter dull-droms by buying a sunlight (full spectrum) bulb for my reading lamp in my living where I spend most of my time after sunset. Right now, about 3:10 pm on a mostly cloudy day, I have it lighted Be sure to get a full spectrum bulb. You may have to find a specialty lighting store to get one - well worth it, especially while the days are short and the amount of sunlight limited by clouds much of the time.

Do those full-spectrum lights give off the bad kind of UV rays?

Originally Posted by Darbla

Do those full-spectrum lights give off the bad kind of UV rays?

AFAIK, no.

I do 30 minutes of full spectrum light every morning at the same time. I also make sure I'm working out enough and getting real sunlight every day (morning walk to train station helps, as does a lunchtime walk). I keep up on my vitamin D supplements. I am making sure I'm getting enough sleep (working on trying to get 8 hours a night...I turn off the computer and tv and such an hour before I plan to sleep....it isn't easy but it's helping) and I journal to keep tabs on my SAD in case it's time to seek professional help again...some of that journal is available to friends who are pretty good about giving me feedback about my reactions and if they are reasonable/proportionate.

I need to be better about making social plans at this time of year.

Supplements are only of use if your body is deficient in a particular nutrient, and even then it's better to correct it with diet if at all possible, because if your diet isn't giving you enough of one thing, there's probably a whole area it's lacking. (for most of us, dark green leafies carry the nutrients we're deficient in. We evolved eating with them as the largest part of our daily diet...)

Any chemical you put in your body -- regardless of how 'natural' the source -- has the potential for harm. Never forget that hemlock is all-natural, and heroin is a 'gentle floral extract.'

Outdoors and exercise is great advice.

You'll think I'm kidding, but sex is a terrific moodlifter.

Planning something fun and new and exciting gives you a chance to get some positive brain chemicals going, as well as something to look forward to. Travel is my favorite, but YMMV. Any kind of adventure will do -- a tandem jump? Balloon ride?

quote Lauren: "You'll think I'm kidding, but sex is a terrific moodlifter."
How could I have left this off my remedies list!?!..g.:

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Supplements are only of use if your body is deficient in a particular nutrient, and even then it's better to correct it with diet if at all possible, because if your diet isn't giving you enough of one thing, there's probably a whole area it's lacking. (for most of us, dark green leafies carry the nutrients we're deficient in. We evolved eating with them as the largest part of our daily diet...)

Any chemical you put in your body -- regardless of how 'natural' the source -- has the potential for harm. Never forget that hemlock is all-natural, and heroin is a 'gentle floral extract.'

Outdoors and exercise is great advice.

You'll think I'm kidding, but sex is a terrific moodlifter.

Planning something fun and new and exciting gives you a chance to get some positive brain chemicals going, as well as something to look forward to. Travel is my favorite, but YMMV. Any kind of adventure will do -- a tandem jump? Balloon ride?

There is a reason Alaskans have so many babies in August-December...

at 40 below, the only outside exercise i get is racing to the car- vitamin D & a 'happy light' are essentials- even if I were outside all the time, we literally can't get enough sun- I can either supplement with vitamin D or eat organ meats- not so appealing, thanks!

But yes, whenever possible I try to supplement with food instead of little bottles- & yes, green leafies are a chronic problem- I grow sprouts in the winter- alfalfa & clover are high in what I'm missing this time of year, & broccoli, mustard, onion etc. sprouts add a little 'spice' to the mix. For a quick fix on the winter blues, a spoonful of molasses helps. I haven't researched to find out why that might be so, I just know that it works for me! chocolate helps too, but I definitely don't want to over do that one!

I have a full-spectrum light, too. It can be somewhat helpful.

I recommend B12 and fish oil, taken in combination. SAM-E is helpful, too, if you're not taking other anti-depressants, or you aren't pregnant.

The best advice though is to EXERCISE like CRAZY even when you really really really don't want to (especially then!!). The natural endorphin rush helps more than any medication.

I've dealt with depression forever, and now dealing with it through pregnancy with no chemical help (antidepressants) is very challenging for me...but vitamins & exercise help ALOT when i can't get out in the sunshine and really get a mood lift!!

I live up here in Maine. In the past 3 months I've lost my job and had a hip replacement. The winter is very snowy. I should have the doldrums. I don't.

This may be intuitive but hard for most of us. (I think the bath taking is part of this, though!) We evolved to slow down in the winter time. Yes, of course, as humans we have great control over our environment. We can choose to make night into day, we can take supplements. But we're still animals, and we still respond to light and temperature in certain ways. After all, my Coon can will never be cold; she has an inside, a corn stove and furnace, a down comforter. She still grows a massive winter coat. And it will start to shed in early spring-even though she will not be outside or warmer. Why? Because the days will get longer, the sun will get closer, and everything in many generations of evolution will tell her coat to thin out.

We're the same kind of thing. Of course you have less energy, of course you aren't as up. It's winter. Yes, we have to work. Yes, we have to dance. But do consider taking some time to hibernate and feel the rhythm of the season. It will make the sun's return that much more POW.

Originally Posted by kahaz

I live up here in Maine. In the past 3 months I've lost my job and had a hip replacement. The winter is very snowy. I should have the doldrums. I don't.

This may be intuitive but hard for most of us. (I think the bath taking is part of this, though!) We evolved to slow down in the winter time. Yes, of course, as humans we have great control over our environment. We can choose to make night into day, we can take supplements. But we're still animals, and we still respond to light and temperature in certain ways. After all, my Coon can will never be cold; she has an inside, a corn stove and furnace, a down comforter. She still grows a massive winter coat. And it will start to shed in early spring-even though she will not be outside or warmer. Why? Because the days will get longer, the sun will get closer, and everything in many generations of evolution will tell her coat to thin out.

We're the same kind of thing. Of course you have less energy, of course you aren't as up. It's winter. Yes, we have to work. Yes, we have to dance. But do consider taking some time to hibernate and feel the rhythm of the season. It will make the sun's return that much more POW.

Hmm interesting to think about this view!

Buy new costumes! :Abiggrin: :Abiggrin: :Abiggrin:

Kidding aside, I've found that the two things that have turned things around for me are exercise, and getting enough sleep. November and December were absolutely miserable for me. Right before Christmas I started exercising for at least an hour a day, five days out of the week. Combine that with the fact that I have been consistently getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night, instead of the 4-6 hours of sleep a night I used to get, and I feel so much better now.

My doctor recommended that I should go out for a walk every morning, but even though I know it'd be for my own good, I don't like to go on walks even when it's nice out, so the chances of me gearing up and throwing myself into the cold/snow at a time of the day when I'm cantankerous anyway are slim to none. If you are the type to be agreeable in the morning, and/or the type who likes to take walks, I'll bet a morning walk would do wonders.

I have a light box, but I don't think I ever used it consistently enough to know if it would help me. I got annoyed with it and stopped using it, because I can't be bothered to sit in one place for a solid 30 minutes in the morning! For those who can put a light box on a treadmill, or who like to watch the morning news, I'll bet it's a lot easier to comply with light therapy.

Wow, I can't believe I forgot about my own thread. Perhaps, I should stock on gingko biloba, too? ,r:;

SOOOOO funny and true about sex being a mood-lifter. Unfortunately, my guy's living in FL now and I won't get any of that until late February. I am sure there will be some witty responses, here, so simply fill in the blanks

Guess it's looking like lots of exercise. Maybe I should revisit that 90-day practice challenge?

LiesaB, I LOVE your idea. I'll call it Seven Habits of Highly Defective People. My next book will be called I'm Okay, You're Not. And after I write my books, I'll become a rock star on the self-help lecture circuit. *snerk* It could happen!

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Wow, I can't believe I forgot about my own thread. Perhaps, I should stock on gingko biloba, too? ,r:;

SOOOOO funny and true about sex being a mood-lifter. Unfortunately, my guy's living in FL now and I won't get any of that until late February. I am sure there will be some witty responses, here, so simply fill in the blanks

Guess it's looking like lots of exercise. Maybe I should revisit that 90-day practice challenge?

LiesaB, I LOVE your idea. I'll call it Seven Habits of Highly Defective People. My next book will be called I'm Okay, You're Not. And after I write my books, I'll become a rock star on the self-help lecture circuit. *snerk* It could happen!

One of your many imitators will come out with "Chicken Soup For the Snatch", but it wil fall flat.

Originally Posted by LiesaB.

One of your many imitators will come out with "Chicken Soup For the Snatch", but it wil fall flat.

That is BRILLIANT!!!

Originally Posted by Anjela

...I have a light box, but I don't think I ever used it consistently enough to know if it would help me. I got annoyed with it and stopped using it, because I can't be bothered to sit in one place for a solid 30 minutes in the morning! For those who can put a light box on a treadmill, or who like to watch the morning news, I'll bet it's a lot easier to comply with light therapy.

I have a light box - 2 in fact. One is used as an alarm clock. I try to remember to use the second one when I am work and sitting at my desk for a period of time. This one is cordless so it makes it easier to transport.

Go to bed until July......

Would it be rude if a person in Australia tried to offer advice?? lol

I grew up in the UK so I do understand and we have problems here in summer when it's too hot to do anything but we insist on running the country like westerners!

I find that organising laugh days are good. I have a group of friends that I can just be silly with and it boosts my mood for a whole week :)