When the days get shorter, we are more prone to winter depression. We feel sad, tired, exhausted and listless. Here you can find out what you can do against winter blues.
The winter blues are not uncommon in Germany: According to the German Family Insurance, 9 percent of Germans are affected by winter depression every year; women are three times more likely to experience it than men. The symptoms are partly similar to those of depression, for example exhaustion, listlessness and irritability – but they are usually less pronounced and occur less frequently. But the winter blues don’t have to lead to depressive illness. Many people are simply more susceptible to it in winter.
What can cause winter depression?
Seasonal depression is triggered by the fact that we are exposed to less daylight in winter. Daylight is an important pacesetter for us and our sleep-wake rhythm: sunlight in the morning makes us awake and fit for the day. It stimulates the release of the messenger serotonin, which is also known as the happiness hormone. So it’s no wonder that the absence of daylight can throw us off balance.
But what can you do to counteract mild winter depression? Anyone who feels severely restricted in everyday life should seek professional help, for example from the German Depression Help Center (see below). If you are just feeling a little depressed, you can try the following tips. They address the cause, the lack of light.
1. Use daylight
The perfect light therapy is: go outside and soak up the light.
Since our professional obligations mean we usually work when it is bright, getting enough light is not always easy. But we can still do a little something against the winter depression. For example, use your lunch break. If you take a few steps for a walk even when the sky is cloudy, you can help stimulate the release of serotonin.
If you can, ride your bike to work if possible – ideally when it is already light. If you use the train, bus or car, get off one stop earlier or park your car a little further away from your workplace and walk the last few meters.
Half an hour of daylight in the morning or midday can counteract the winter blues.
2. Exercise to combat the winter blues – preferably outside
Exercise is also important to improve our mood – preferably in the fresh air. Because this also ensures that we release more of the feel-good hormone serotonin. Exercise also gets your circulation going and strengthens your immune system.
Jogging or at least going for a walk for half an hour a few times a week can help against winter depression. Also use the weekends for long autumn walks, snow hikes or cross-country skiing.
More tips: Do sports: How to find the right sport
3. Light therapy with daylight lamp
To combat the winter blues, you should integrate enough daylight into your everyday life. A light therapy lamp can help with this. In Scandinavia, these lamps have long been established in schools and offices, but Germany is unfortunately not quite there yet.
The artificial light from these lamps is similar to the spectrum of sunlight – but the UV component is filtered out. In this way, many of the processes in the body that are sensitive to daylight are stimulated.
At home, you should place the daylight lamp no more than 80 centimeters away from you. A powerful lamp can achieve an illuminance of 10,000 lux – this is equivalent to daylight on a clear winter day.
The best way to combat winter depression is to use the daylight lamp in the morning for at least 30 to 120 minutes. Of course, you can do other things during light therapy, such as reading the newspaper or eating a healthy breakfast. After about a week you should feel an improvement in your mood.
It is not advisable to use a daylight lamp in the evening: it messes up our sleep-wake rhythm and thus makes winter depression even more likely.
4. Create feel-good moments
To arm yourself against the shorter days and the cold, comfort and homeliness help. Celebrations like Christmas and the Advent holidays can also get us through the winter in a better mood.
We can help by creating additional moments of well-being. This could be a visit to the sauna on cold days or just a hot bath. Meeting friends for dinner or a cozy movie night at home can also make us feel better.
5. Fight winter depression with mindfulness
Practice mindfulness to actively combat winter depression. Relaxation exercises help you slow down your everyday life and reduce stress. Because winter in particular is nature’s way of offering us something to take back and relax.
Mindfulness meditation has a positive effect on our health and well-being, as numerous studies have now confirmed. Read our article Learning Mindfulness: Definition and 6 Exercises for Everyday Life to find out how you can integrate mindfulness exercises into your everyday life without much effort.
More tips: 3 recommended meditation apps
6. St. John’s wort and vitamin D against winter depression
The lack of daylight in winter often means that our body cannot produce enough vitamin D. Because vitamin D not only ensures strong bones, but also affects our general well-being. If you have a (medically diagnosed) deficiency, you can help yourself with vitamin D preparations.
St. John’s wort can also help against the winter blues. The medicinal herb is said to brighten the mood and relieve restlessness.
In general, we recommend that you clarify the use of such preparations with a medical professional. The preparations should be dosed correctly – in addition, an interaction can occur with numerous medications, especially with St. John’s wort.
7. Bring structure to the day
In winter, many people tend to sit on the sofa and do nothing, which can make them thoughtful and sad. A regular daily routine counteracts the winter blues. You should first maintain a regular sleep rhythm with at least six to eight hours of sleep at night.
Also think about when you take your half-hour walk or go jogging and integrate these sports sessions into your weekly routine.
Introduce a morning ritual: This could be half an hour of breakfast or reading the newspaper, time next to the daylight lamp or a short mindfulness exercise. Such a ritual also helps in the evening. To go to sleep with good thoughts, you can, for example, take five minutes and consciously be grateful for the events of the day.
Conclusion: The best remedy for winter blues is relaxation
We can take winter as an offer from nature to take a break and reflect on ourselves. Get involved and use this time to relax, calm down and just make yourself comfortable. If you don’t get at least a little bit into the cold, dark and shorter days, you have to struggle with them even more and are more susceptible to winter depression.
But you can actively do something against winter depression: If the winter blues start to get to you, try to get as much daylight as possible, exercise regularly and maintain a regular sleep schedule.
Important: However, if you feel persistently bad for more than two weeks, we recommend seeking medical advice. Only doctors can determine whether an upset has developed into serious depression.
Note: If you feel depressed or have suicidal thoughts, contact the telephone counseling service online or on 0800 / 111 0 111 or 0800 / 111 0 222 or 116123 or the German Depression Help on 0800 / 33 44 533 (during the day on weekdays). In emergencies, please contact the nearest psychiatric clinic or emergency doctor on tel. 112
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