Sunday October 3rd, 2021

Feeling sad? Blame the cold

The changing seasons and the arrival of the cold makes us more sad and apathetic. The climate has a significant influence on our mood and, just as we feel happier when the good weather comes along, fog, rain and all the signs of winter give our body and our mind the blues.

We all know that sun is a source of Vitamin D and that a Vitamin D deficiency is normally associated with disorders such as depression. This is why when the hours of daylight diminish, we feel sadder. With darkness, our body makes more melatonin (key to helping us drift off to sleep) and, thus, we feel more tired. Furthermore, this weather reduces our levels of serotinin, the neurotransmitter of happiness.

So, if you get the blues when the clocks change, it’s normal. There is even a specific type of depression for this, known as ‘seasonal affective disorder’, which can begin in autumn and last right through till spring.

To get through it, our advice is:
– Try to transform negative thoughts into positive ones.

– Choose foods rich in Vitamin D, such as fish, yogurt, nuts, eggs… to offset the lack of sunlight and make sure you get outside when the weather is nice.

– Exercise since this will produce dopamine, serotinin and endorphin, the hormones that make us happy.

– Get up and go to bed early to make the most of as many hours of sunlight as you can and get enough rest.

– Even if you don’t feel like it, meet up with your friends and go out.

– Make yourself a routine and break it every now and then. There’s nothing wrong with being spontaneous.

– Don’t assume that because the weather is bad, you’re going to feel bad too. You have the power over your body and your mind. Give rainy days a chance.

And, if none of this works, put on some happy music and have yourself a dance. Feel the release 😉