How to Beat the End of Winter Blues

This time of year can be hard to take. While the rest of Australia celebrates the beginning of spring with warmer temperatures, the Surf Coast takes a while to catch on. The cold continues, the wind stays solid and the sun doesn’t want to cooperate. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects a large number of people, particularly when cloudy days outweigh the clear.  So, if you’re feeling like it’s harder to get out of bed, try these 5 simple tips to beat the end of winter blues. If these don’t work, it might be time for a holiday:

 1. Exercise

Outside. Even though it’s probably the last thing you want to do right now, outdoor exercise has huge benefits which will extend way beyond this season. Exercising outside in winter burns more calories, builds endurance and helps fight depression and to honest, there is nothing quite like the feeling of exercising on a cold, clear day. Just rug up. Gloves and a thin beanie will help ease you into it.

2. Soup

Make it. Eat it. Enjoy it. Soup is one of those wonder meals: easy to make, easy to digest and chock full of vitamins and flavour. It also makes the cold nights feel almost right. There’s something about eating a hearty veggie and beef soup that nourishes the soul as well as the body.

3. Socialise

Socialise. The Surf Coast goes into hibernation over the winter period, but socialising and making time to see friends and family will help lift your spirits and help your friends out of their respective winter blues (we all get them!). Organise a night of board games, a pot luck dinner or head out to The Kindness Co. meditation sessions on a Tuesday night.

4. Read

You know that book. It’s been sitting by your bed waiting to be read for nearly a year now. Grab a warm herbal tea, find a comfortable spot on the couch and escape for a couple of hours. Make a habit of reaching for the book instead of the remote each evening and let your imagination take over.

5. Learn

We’re lucky on the Surf Coast to have access to a community full of knowledge and stimulation. Keep an eye out for courses and classes which will help expand your horizons and keep you motivated. If you feel like a field trip, The School of Life in Melbourne has some really inspirational and thought provoking offerings.

Let me know what works for you to get through this final phase of winter and I’ll share your ideas on my Facebook page.