As the days are getting shorter and colder, it can be easy to be less social and active during the day. It’s challenging to want to get out of bed and work out when the sun hasn’t risen yet and the cold stings your lungs. For some, it can be a challenge to face dreary days. We’d rather stay inside than make an effort to surround ourselves with community. Our environment can significantly impact how we feel emotionally, disrupting our daily habits and relationships. Let’s spend some time exploring three ways to regulate our emotional health so we can continue living healthy lives throughout every season.
Invest in your physical health
Our physical health directly impacts our mental and emotional health. There is little separation between the two. Investing in our physical health can be accomplished by focusing on the food we eat, regular exercise, the fabrics we wear, and the treatments we use on our skin.
Walking is the perfect way to start incorporating daily exercise into your routine. Bundling up and going for a 15-minute walk can help get your blood flowing and wake you up to start the day. Once you feel ready to start adding weight lifting, sit down and write out a five-day exercise split. This keeps it simple until you feel ready to move on to heavier weights or more advanced exercises. Some preliminary research can go a long way regarding what exercises target which muscle groups, different ways to split your exercises, and safe lifting techniques. Once you have your workout plan set up and running, you’ll start feeling better physically with regular exercise because your body is getting endorphins. Endorphins are our ‘happy chemicals,’ which make exercising a great way to combat rainy day blues.1
Comfort food, like a hot soup packed with nutrients and protein, can also be a helpful pick-me-up. When we get the proper vitamins and other sustenance we need through hearty foods, it helps our body (and, therefore, our brains) function seamlessly. Eating enough protein also assists in supplying the necessary amino acids to produce serotonin, providing an easy solution for emotional regulation.2
15 minutes of morning and evening sunlight
Our circadian rhythm plays a significant role in how we feel throughout the day. If we are tired when we wake up, we’ll drag ourselves through our morning, work, and evening routines or just give them up altogether because it’s too exhausting. So, how do we combat fatigue at the start of our day?
One of the most pressing problems our society currently faces is the lack of natural sunlight replaced with blue light from early morning or late night scrolling. One way to combat fatigue throughout the day is to replace scrolling with 15 minutes of morning sunlight and 15 minutes of evening light to start and end your day. That morning light will wake your body up, signaling to it that the day is starting. Similarly, letting your body take in the sun setting and not having artificial light disrupt your circadian rhythm will help your body understand it needs to start producing melatonin to prepare you for bed.3
Habit stacking can help you replace that morning and evening scroll through your phone. If you have another habit you’d like to incorporate into your daily routines, like reading more or going for a walk, habit stack that with getting your first and last 15 minutes of sunlight. For instance, you could sit on your porch or in a nearby park and journal to start your day.
Another easy way to combat blue light, being the first and last thing you see, is to charge your devices in a different room at night. This can also keep you from seeing negative news stories first thing in the morning or last thing at night, so you keep your mind at peace and don’t ruminate over things out of your control before bed.
Incorporating these new habits can get you out of that cold-weather slump and have better energy and mental health throughout your day.
Have regular times set to meet with friends
There have been multiple studies that have proven that people with healthy friendships have improved mental health and live overall healthier lives.4 Being with friends and family we enjoy being around can help keep our spirits high during drearier days.
Even though finding outdoor activities can be more difficult, be sure to be in your community regularly to help with emotional regulation. This can be anything from a game night to a shared meal once a week or a run club. Any kind of shared interest that’s regularly on your calendar can give you something to look forward to and keep you routinely in touch with people who can help uplift and encourage you, and you can return the same for them.
Closing thoughts
While fall and winter bring in colder and shorter days, your emotional and mental health doesn’t have to suffer through it! Combating a case of the blues can start with a simple walk, putting devices away at night, or chatting with a close friend. It is easy to support your brain health by starting with your physical health through exercise and eating well and your emotional health through stimulating and encouraging conversations with friends.
If you feel alone or struggle with more than just being a little down than usual, it is always good to seek professional help or call 988 for support.
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