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Real Answers™
jd35
Copyright: © ©2006 Jill Darling
675 words

25 WAYS TO BEAT THE WINTER DOLDRUMS

By: Jill Darling

Do you find yourself sitting slack-jawed in front of the tube night after night? Is your thumb the only body part that gets a workout these days? Do the dark days lull you into a comatose state? Then I have a solution for you. Don’t hibernate, invigorate.

It’s easy to shut down when the forces of nature dim and die. But don’t give in. Do just the opposite of what your mind and body want to do. The first step to combating the winter doldrums is to decide to stay vibrant. Even though it’s dreary outside, there are plenty of things to do to keep active or to spice up the mundane.

If you’re sun-deprived as I am, get out in the sun as much as possible. Plan walks or times to sit outside, even if it’s in your car with the window open to catch some rays before the sun sets. It sounds crazy, but do it even if it’s freezing out. Twenty to thirty minutes of basking in the sun does wonders.

Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a former National Institutes of Health researcher who discovered and diagnosed SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) 20 years ago, says there are scientific links between daylight and depression (Detroit Free Press, November 3, 2006). When light enters the eye, it travels into the brain where it stimulates the production of neurotransmitters -- signals which help the brain reset our body's clock -- and receptors. A reduction of neurotransmitters or receptors means our body has a harder time functioning on a routine schedule.

Phototherapy lamps are recommended for those with SAD. Lights help regulate the body's internal circadian clock and control the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin, and the brain chemical, serotonin, improving mood, sleep and energy, the article states.

“You should feel positive benefits, including more energy, fewer food cravings and a more rested feeling, in a few days, but it may take as much as two weeks,” says Rosenthal, author of Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder (Guilford Press, $15.95).
 

In addition to more light, here are a few tips to keep the momentum going:

• Join a fitness center.
• Bundle up and go for an evening walk.
• Go sledding.
• Go ice skating.
• Take a class.
• Start a new hobby: knitting, photography, painting.
• Bring home flowers.
• Light candles.
• Play different music.
• Play board games
• Play darts.
• Dance.
• Look at photo albums or family videos 

Some of our most memorable family times were spontaneous:

• Sledding with a propane lantern on a clear moonlit night.
• Bundling up in parkas and walking in the dark amidst large flakes of falling snow.
• Making popcorn balls.

Instead of sticking to the usual grocery list, try one or two different foods to spice things up a bit, like sushi or some other international dish.

Turn the tables on the winter tendency to overeat junk food and gain weight by spending the winter months staying fit instead. Make a lifestyle choice to eat more healthy foods and exercise more. Work out in the evening hours instead of flopping down in front of the TV.

I have an arsenal of inexpensive exercise regimens that I do mindlessly in front of the TV including stretch bands, weights, thigh slimming gadgets, Pilates balls, etc. I’ve memorized exercise routines so I can do segments of something while watching a TV program or talking with family members. I just incorporate them into everyday life, so it doesn’t even seem like I’m actually exercising.

Change your routine to ward off boredom:

• Go home a different route.
• Shop at a different grocery store.
• Try a new recipe.
• Eat at a new restaurant.

Acknowledge that the dark days are only temporary and view it as a challenge to overcome. “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Make the best of the season and don’t let the season get the best of you.

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com

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