They creep up on you when you least expect it (OK, somewhat predictable: usually around November). No matter how hard you deny that it’s getting colder and darker by the day; the winter blues are hard to shake.

It’s something all of us at CHAPTER FRIDAY have admitted to dealing with - feeling less energetic and wanting to stay in bed and feeling less social as it gets winter. Those people that say they love winter because they can cozy up inside? We are clearly not those people. (Sure, sitting inside with hot chocolate is always great! But the other 50% of the time I’m just cold, getting rained on, or coming home from work in the dark).

See, it’s already happening, so we decided to tackle the topic in an article and figure out ways to win the winter blues battle.

We’re… buying a daylight-lamp
Your body needs a certain amount of light for it’s natural body clock to function properly. If you’re working in a dark office, or are based at home where you work or study, a lamp like this will help trick your body and mind in to thinking it’s still warm and sunny.

We’re going outside
‘Fresh air will do you good’ is something moms say on a regular basis and, as with most things moms say, it’s probably right. A clear winter morning walk for half an hour will expose you to that wonderful fresh and crisp air, clears your head and is a great way to get everything flowing.

We’re… getting an alarm clock that works with light (yeah, there’s that daylight again!)
Getting brutally interrupted by an alarm clock never helps and messes up your natural rhythm. New research from the University of Washington School of Medicine in America shows that alarm clocks that mimic the natural dawn can help to lessen the affects of the winter blues. You know; one of those things that slowly gets brighter and brighter, until it wakes you up. This tells our brain to stop producing melatonin; the hormone that makes us sleepy.

We’re… going to the gym and getting our butts in action
Arghh, the struggle of getting enough exercise: it’s real. Especially in winter, going to the gym is seems as impossible as climbing the Mount Everest. But, honestly, it’s worth it. Exercise can help relieve mild depression and most definitely the tiredness you might feel around winter. You don’t have to go all out: a thirty minute workout twice a week is enough to benefit.

We’re eat complex carbs and chocolate (yes, we said it!)
It’s very tempting to resort to comfort foods to help you through winter (and any other season, really). Don’t fall for it though: stuffing yourself with sugar and refined flours will only make you feel worse. Instead, try to eat complex carbs that you’ll find in spinach, broccoli, lentils, beans and zucchini. They will fill you up for a decent amount of time and will prevent you from having unwanted binges afterwards. Dark chocolate is a happy exception on this rule: it naturally manufactures the feel-good hormone serotonin, which the body produces when exposed to sunshine. Need we say more?

We’re going on mini breaks
Every now and then, allow yourself to really bundle up in a pile of blankets (I like to call it the blanket hotdog, where you roll yourself up in one and only your head sticks out). Take a Monday or Friday off and treat yourself to a long weekend. If the best option is doing nothing - well, if you can call a Pretty Little Liars marathon with your best friend nothing - then why try to fight that? Take one or two days off when you really need it (my favorite time for a mini break is January), or use the entire weekend as a little holiday. The little break will give you a boost in itself, and you have something to look forward to. Works like a charm, and doesn’t cost a thing.

Is it just us, or do you develop a case of winter blues during wintertime as well? And what’s your best way to beat it?

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