Six Tips to Help Winterize Your Mental Health
We often prepare our cars and homes and yards for winter: we rake leaves, put on snow tires, take out air conditioning units, and disconnect outdoor hoses. But how often do we give the same care and attention to our own mental health?
Many articles have been written about the possible effects of Daylight Savings Time on mood and health. It’s time to get ahead of the game while we can. I’m bipolar II, and the shift in seasons often knocks me off course. Then there’s the dread of the holidays. I exercise, eat fairly healthy, and try to get more sleep in order to lift my mood, but it still feels like old man winter already has on his boxing gloves.
The following traditions help keep me grounded and challenge me to step out of the ring when I feel overwhelmed:
Spice Up Your Life
Starbucks whips out its specialty drinks faster than you can say pumpkin spice latte at the first cold snap, and I think they’re on to something genius here. Scents can have a powerful effect on mood, so it’s no wonder I felt the urge to sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on my oatmeal the other morning (after struggling to get out of bed). Spices, in particular, can have multiple health benefits, so don’t underestimate their power, and start experimenting in your dishes and drinks. I don’t know about you, but reading the news this year has taken an extra toll on my mental health, and I must be even more intentional about incorporating self-care in new ways. I might try to recreate the clove-studded oranges I and my mother made around Christmastime or buy a few cinnamon scented pine cones, which can double as both decoration and aromatherapy.
Bring Out the Holiday Lights Early
While people might grumble about the capitalistic machine that is the holiday shopping season, nothing gives you a more valid reason to string up Christmas lights. They’re often sold once we get past Halloween, just in time for the end of Daylight Savings. Don’t wait to string them up since we’ve been losing sunlight in increments since the June 21st Solstice. Mine go up next to the scented pine cones once it’s dark by 7 p.m. and don’t come down until after we’ve sprung forward to Standard Time again. I find having soft, warm light in addition to lamplight helps me not feel the darkness as much. If twinkle lights aren’t your thing, try candles or buy a few extra lamps.
The best thing about holiday lights is that they’re fairly cheap (especially if you buy them on sale the previous year). I can’t afford a lightbox, and being bipolar II, I am worried about what could trigger my mania. There has yet to be a definitive study (or any study for that matter) on the effect of twinkle lights on depression, but there should be.
Say Yes to Some Social Functions
As an extrovert who needs a certain amount of people mingling to recharge, holiday parties provide easy access without demanding too much investment. I recently attended a work party at a very cool venue where it was my job to welcome everyone.
Depression can make the beautiful appear flat and seem like a long way off. I felt like there was an invisible screen between me and all the smiling people who might also have been battling the same feeling. But I found I couldn’t concentrate on my sadness as much while I was checking people in, and I didn’t have to be all that interesting since I was working the door.
Plus, the magic of any party is in the little things you remember later. I can’t recall a single speech from that night, but I remember an acquaintance who came over and asked if I needed a drink. I said yes and pulled out my cash. She shook her head and smiled. “I’ve got it.” She might not have thought anything of it, but saving me ten dollars when I was particularly stressed about finances made me feel cared for like the universe was looking out for me.
Give Yourself Permission to Regroup In a Group Setting
Later at that party, I decided to sit in a chair away from the crowd and listen to the piano player’s soft melody permeate the room. It’s okay to take some time for yourself. You can check your phone, doodle, pray. Do whatever you need to stay grounded.
As women, we’re often trained to take care of others. It can be a default mode. But it was only when I paid attention to myself that I finally had time to notice room: the books, the chandelier, fun art decorating the walls. And then, suddenly, I became present enough to be inside the music and it was inside me. A few lines to an essay I had been struggling revealed themselves even though I hadn’t been thinking about the piece at all. Whatever feelings of invisibility and failure I had been struggling with all day momentarily dissipated.
Even so, I left the party early. I always allow myself the freedom to leave whenever I want because just getting to an event when feeling blue is considered a win. On my way home, I passed by a lovely musician playing the violin in the Times Square subway station. I was halfway down the stairs to my train when I stopped to listen. A few moments later he cast a quick glance my way, saw me there in the middle of the stairway, and flashed a smile that said, I see you. And I stayed there as a way of saying, I see you, too.
Listen to the Music
Is there really any other time you can break out the Trans-Siberian Orchestra or The Waitresses “Christmas Wrapping” except during the winter holidays? I might refuse to go caroling with as much indignation as Scrooge, but the moment I put on Maria Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas,” I could practically skip down the slushy New York sidewalk. I create different soundtracks to help me navigate a myriad of emotions as the days grow shorter until Winter Solstice on December the 21st. I have a set to calm me, one to energize me, one to cry to, one to write to, one for walking, and another for the gym. Music has been shown to help patients with pain and anxiety; for me, it becomes an escape ship for my imagination when negative thoughts get the upper hand.
“Music” here is defined loosely. The other night I had taken off my earphones upon entering the seminary where I live. Ahead was the chapel, lit against the dark sky like a scene out of a gothic novel, and all around me, crickets chirped as if they were singing the hallelujah chorus. I just stood there, listening and being thankful. The impromptu concert did more to lift my spirits than the two-mile walk I had just completed.
Keep a Mood Journal
Many different sites will tell you journaling is a great way to work through your fears as well as celebrate your accomplishments. Here’s the thing: I hate journaling. I always have. But apparently I don’t mind posting about it on social media. In fact, I’ve been doing so for the past ten years, making those annoying “on this day” posts quite enlightening. I’ve discovered that there are certain days for the past decade when I’m just “off.”
I am working through some of these patterns in therapy, but the shorthand entries also help alleviate the pressure I often put on myself to be more positive or productive when I’m struggling. This kind of writing reminds me that I have ups and downs, and the more I track those fluctuations, the less out of control I feel.
I also record whatever fun thing I did that day on my Google calendar, whether it’s paying a bill, meeting someone for tea, finishing an article, or doing laundry. When really depressed, even a walk around the block can feel like I’m scaling a mountain, so it’s important for me to see my accomplishments. The voice that tells me all sorts of lies has to shut up when presented with evidence shows which shows that hell yes, I’m worth fighting for. And you are, too.
