Winterdip - tips

4 challenges to beat the winter blues

The summer is over and the days are getting shorter. When you wake up it’s still dark outside. When you’re done with school or work the sun has already set and it gets colder by the minute. It’s the time of the dark winter months an the winter blues is lurking. The winter blues, characterized by tiredness, is a mild version of the winter depression. Leaving your warm bed is suddenly incredibly hard and during the day you are relatively low in energy. Besides that, you might find yourself feeling gloomy, having more negative thoughts running around, and having less interest in (social) activities. Those complaints can be quite a hassle in your daily life. Especially when you’re facing deadlines and exams, these feelings can cause extra stress. Does this sound familiar? Uit je warme bed komen is opeens nog moeilijker dan normaal en ook gedurende de dag heb je relatief weinig energie. Daarnaast merk je wellicht aan jezelf dat je wat somber bent, dat er relatief veel negatieve gedachten door je hoofd spoken en dat je minder interesse hebt in (sociale) activiteiten. Deze klachten kunnen je behoorlijk in de weg zitten in je dagelijkse bezigheden. Zeker als je te maken hebt met deadlines en tentamens, kan de dip tot extra stress leiden. En dat is natuurlijk het laatste waar je op zit te wachten. Herkenbaar? You’re not tje only one.

Every year many people suffer from the winter blues. To support you during this season-based mood change, we’ve selected tips and tricks from the field of positive psychology. Below you find four weekly challenges; to lighten your upcoming month. Are you up for it?

Week 1:

This week’s challenge: end the day with gratitude

Do you ever feel grateful? Are you mindful of the things that you feel grateful for? When the winter blues is coming up you might be focused on what is lacking or absent in your life. To counterbalance that, you can pay attention to the things that are already part of your life that spark joy. Think of certain friends, family, experiences, opportunities you’ve had or positive traits that characterize you. Or perhaps you feel grateful for that one insight you recently had, for the sunrays today, your health, or the help you lately received. It can be anything. We challenge you to end your day in gratitude for 7 days in a row, by writing down one thing each day you feel grateful for.

Week 2:

This week’s challenge: start the day with a happy memory

A good beginning is half the battle. The way you start your day is quite impactful. Imagine you would start every day with a happy memory. We’ve all got those memories that make us smile instantly. What are those memories for you? Reflect on past experiences you have had with friends, family, your partner, laugh kicks, holidays or a time you were of help to someone. Throughout the coming week, we challenge you to think of a happy time as soon as your alarm has wakened you.

Week 3:

This week’s challenge: three positive moments

Last week, we challenged you to start each day positive. This week we add to that. Ending your day with a joyful feeling might help you fall asleep. A lot happens during the day. What were three positive moments for you? It can be something big or rather small. For instance, the color of the leaves, tasty food, a game session, or a great conversation with a friend. Extra tip: write the moments down. This way, you can return to your notes when you are feeling low.

Week 4:

This week’s challenge: giving positivity

Ready for the last challenge? For the past three weeks, you’ve been mindful of gratitude, positive memories, and daily positive moments. This week we challenge you to share the positive vibes. How? It’s up to you! You can express appreciation, help someone in need, give a compliment, or surprise someone with little presents. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Chances are high that your mood will improve when you can be meaningful to someone. Ready for the last challenge? Enjoy!

These challenges are a start to beat your winter blues. Do you need some support? We are here for you. Siggie provides both online coaching and in-person workshops. If your gloominess is going beyond a winter blues, we could help you get the right kind of help somewhere else.

Do you want to sign up for one-on-one coaching at Siggie? Click here

Do you want to follow an workshop? Click here

Learn more about winter depression Read more on the website of Mentaal Beter