I’ll never forget how I was hit with the winter blues my first year at school. At first, I thought I was just tired and stressed like the normal college student, but then I realized it was more. My normal energetic, cheery attitude, was replaced with a grouchy, irritable and lethargic presence that I had not experienced for so many days at a time. Was I depressed? Maybe, but I didn’t know that at the time. All I knew was that I did not feel like myself and I couldn’t explain it.

Since I was in school for fitness & health promotion, I knew that there were healthy habits that would make me feel better so I was willing to try any of them. I already worked out regularly like a ninja, so the next obvious change was to look at what I was eating. I ate pretty healthy, but there were definitely a few changes I could make. I also new I wasn’t getting enough sleep so I worked on that as best I could while working as a server, doing school work and socializing.

I powered through the winter and somewhere along the line I felt better, until the next winter hit and the one after that. The one after I had finished school was by far the worst.

I was now working full-time, making a salary with benefits (fresh out of school) and on paper I had it all going for me. I couldn’t explain why I felt this way and thought that I had fixed this with strategies in the previous years. I called my mom crying one night telling her I was so stressed and needed some time off, away from here, as a stay-cation was out of the question.

She asked me when the last time I had time off was and I had said the summer. Then she asked me when was the last time I got some fresh air. As I rolled my eyes at her over the phone, I said that I didn’t have time other than walking to and from my car. If she could have reached through the phone and stuck a sign on my head that said, “here’s your sign” she would have.

Even though I had my new job, I was not in a position to take off on a sunny vacation somewhere. I knew I had to do something. I was working long hours between my full-time and part-time jobs (which I held onto because I had this fear that the full-time one might not last). I realized that something needed to give. As much as I loved the tips, I had to give up being a server. It was too many late nights and it was typically weekends which barely left me time to socialize. I was so isolated from my friends and loved ones, even though I had these very public jobs, I felt lonely. The first free weekend felt normal, but after a few in a row, I couldn’t believe how much better I felt.

I also noticed all the other things that were affecting my attitude, emotions and health during this time and over the years I’ve come up with some great strategies to beat the winter blahs or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder):

1. Make time for exercise both in and outdoors. I was already good at working out and I worked at a gym, but I realized that I was missing the great outdoors. I looked for time in my schedule to take breaks and go for walks in the cool, crisp air and embrace the beauty of winter. I also try to embrace winter activities like tobogganing, skating, etc. Getting out will help you fell less isolated and when you get a sunny day it will help boost your mood.

2. Find your go-to calming activity. Yoga, reading, drinking tea, arts & crafts, meditation, cooking, ice fishing, photography, etc. are all examples of things you can do to slow down and calm your body and brain.

3. Eat healthy. This is always a tough one, but in the winter it’s worse because we want those warm comfort foods. Load up on vegetables as much as possible, cut back on breads, pastas, crackers, cookies, donuts and other sugary processed foods. Eat at least three times a day, eat a meal post workout and leave at least 10 to 12 hours between your evening and morning meal.

4. Get to bed and get up at the same time every day. In the winter, it gets darker earlier and daylight starts to come earlier late December. Adjust your schedule to do some of the things you might normally do at night to the morning so that you can get to bed earlier and wake feeling refreshed to natural light.

5. Don’t lay around. Laying on the couch/bed and binge watching YouTube videos or Netflix is not a great calming activity. The screen time will stimulate your brain and want to do more activity, so when your body doesn’t move, it throws all your sensors out of whack. This leads to trouble sleeping and concentrating.

6. Spend time with friends and family. Go back to number one on this list and these are all great things you can do with someone else. Make sure there is time to have meaningful conversation to unload or to philosophize about the future!

7. Look at supplementation. Talk to a doctor of medicine (MD) or naturopathic doctor about adding supplements like a multi-vitamin or vitamin-D, melatonin, iron or other vital nutrients your body needs to function well.

8. Go on a vacation. If you can, take some time off and go somewhere that makes you happy. Make time for yourself and maybe a loved one to rest, relax and recharge your batteries.

Karen Nixon-Carroll is the Program Manager at Fanshawe’s Fitness Centre.