10 Ways to Beat the Winter (and Holiday) Blues

These 10 Ways I’ve learned from personal experience—a few the hard way. Hope it serves you well!

Let’s get to it.

Spend time with God.

Carve out quiet time and space in your day to read Scripture, pray, and journal. Get out of your head and into God’s mind, truth, and promises. Vent on the written page. Write out affirmations and what you are thankful for. Fill your spirit with worship music.

Get enough Sleep.

Lack of sleep will fracture you mentally and emotionally. Everything will go from an emotional two to twenty-two. Compensating with caffeine will bring anxiousness and edginess. I shoot for seven hours a night.

Get some exercise.

Make the time. It’s that important. Aim for thirty minutes, four – five days a week. Brisk walks, treadmill, elliptical, jumping jacks, body squats, burpees, etc. Lots of stretching. You can find many home exercise/workout routines on Youtube.

Drink lots of water.

Water purges and cleanses your system. When you’re dehydrated you have food cravings and you feel terrible. You get sick more easily. Think 8 x 8. Eight glasses of eight ounces of water per day (half-gallon).

Fast from social media.

Especially when slipping into a funk. You’ll be tempted to compare yourself with others who seem more put-together, happier, smarter, more fit, more celebrated, and on and on. Don’t do that to yourself. Take a break. If anything, only look at social media with Scripture texts, inspirational quotes, and positive messages.

Avoid the news.

Avoid it like a stomach virus. Much of the news feeds fear and outrage. Disengage for your mental, emotional, and spiritual sanity. At least for a season. Replace that time with prayer, journaling, Scripture, or a good book.

Beware of sugar.

Cookies, fruit drinks, soda, cakes, pies, candy, and so forth. I love all that poison. But sugar can wreak havoc not only on your body but especially on your emotional and mental health. Still, you don’t have to be a miser and abstain completely. Moderation is key. Or save and enjoy the poison for the actual holiday.

Get some sunlight.

At least 20 minutes a day, four to five times per week. If in the dark wintry Northeast, perhaps invest in a Seasonal Affective Disorder Therapy Light. I use this one. Take daily Vitamin D.

Don’t isolate yourself.

When the emotional fog rolls in you’ll be tempted to isolate yourself from others. Don’t do it. Force yourself to connect with friends by phone, for coffee, for a meal. Have some fun together. Laugh it up. And serve someone, even anonymously. All of this gets you out of your head and out of yourself.

Get help.

Go see a doctor. Talk to a pastor. Get therapy. There might be deeper underlying issues going on. Perhaps you need medication to weather the tough season you are experiencing. Don’t put it off or tough it out. Get help.

Much love, my friends.

Merry Christmas.

[Post updated, December 16, 2018]