Keeping well in winter: how shifting your mindset can help you cope

Topics mentioned: low mood and depression, seasonal affective disorder, radical acceptance

About: Annabell shares how shifting your mindset and using acceptance-based techniques can help you cope with winter challenges, low mood and seasonal affective disorder.

The end of the year always feels foreboding. As autumn winds into winter, deciduous greenery and hours of daylight disappear, taking a chunk of my verve with them. The colder, wetter weather and darkness can pose a challenge to some of the habits that preserve my mental health. I love getting up and going out into the sunshine first thing in the morning, but post-daylight savings, it’s more difficult to wake up early. I don’t want to leave the warmth of my bed to go anywhere or do anything. The tail end of the year brings with it a lack of motivation. Part of that is instinct; the urge to conserve energy through a resource-scarce winter is thought to be a relic of our hunter-gatherer days. Seasonal shifts can also disrupt sleep and exacerbate existing depression, leaving you sad, sluggish and dispirited.

Social psychology research suggests a positive attitude towards the winter months helps people to thrive despite the challenges of the season. This involves actively appreciating the good things about this time of year, rather than just noticing the bad. By acknowledging seasonal changes, you can also accept their effect on you, thereby increasing your self-compassion in the face of difficulty. For example, rain and strong winds might make you feel negatively towards going outdoors. Accepting this change to your experience allows you to plan strategies to combat how you’ll feel (wearing warm clothes, taking an umbrella, etc), instead of being frustrated by or critical of any negative emotions. Digging out and wearing a scarf you like or treating yourself to a warm drink once you’re indoors create positive seasonal experiences that can also help improve your mood. You may still dislike the weather, complain about it or wish to stay indoors – but you’ll be better equipped to cope and support yourself.

Personally, I try to adjust the things I know work for supporting myself, and incorporate new practices centred in light and warmth to supplement what I’m missing. Getting out first thing in the morning and taking in the daylight can still be invigorating, even if I have to put on a hat and gloves, or a raincoat, first. Just looking out over a green space, noticing the colours of the leaves and the sound of birdsong, yields similar benefits. Taking time to go on walks in nature and appreciate what’s still flowering, noticing late fruiting plants and the wildlife they support, fosters hope and gratitude. I can take comfort in knowing nature and it’s support system are still there, even when it feels like most things have died off.

These months, and the spectre of upcoming holidays, can inflate feelings of loneliness and isolation. If you find yourself bowing out of social engagements, try to think about why you’re avoiding them, and what activities or events would be easier to commit to. Going to the theatre, seeing art installations or museum exhibits, can become seasonal positives, as you can slow down and engage thoughtfully with what you see and enjoy the warmth indoors. Volunteering at food banks, shelters and other organisations can give you a feeling of connection and community, as well as easing the burden of this time for others. At home, making time to sit with a cup of tea and relax, or lighting a candle to soften the atmosphere, provide rest, comfort and much needed warmth.

Weaving protection against and acceptance of this time of year into your daily life will strengthen and soothe you, helping you to support yourself into next spring. Being present and finding reasons to enjoy autumn and winter doesn’t mean ignoring the challenges you might face, but accepting them and knowing you can cope.