Seasonal Affective Disorder: How I’ve Learned to Enjoy Winter

Combat SAD, enjoy winter
© Robert Kneschke via canva.com

As a kid, I loved being outside in the winter.

The winter landscape offered an endless range of activities, and I don’t recall ever thinking of the winters as long or bothersome. Yet as I became an adult, the fun wore off. Winter was no longer something novel and exciting, but something to dread.

Then, about six years ago, I went through one of the toughest winter seasons I’d ever experienced. My mental health tanked. I was consistently grumpy, irritable, and restless. My energy was dismal.

I remember disconsolately researching housing prices in warmer climates, thinking I couldn’t last one more winter in this area.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Though I’d heard of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), I didn’t think it was something I’d dealt with until that winter. But the more I learned about it, the more it started to make sense.

Things always started to nosedive around January, and I always noticed great improvement once spring got underway. Additionally, my symptoms responded favorably to some intentional changes that aligned with common theories as to why SAD might happen.

Fortunately, this journey to alleviate my symptoms of SAD has also helped me learn to thrive in winter once again.

So, whether you too struggle with SAD, or just need some fresh ideas to help keep this season bearable (and even enjoyable!), here are some of my favorite shifts from the last few years to get you started.

(Please note, I am not a trained mental health professional or qualified to give medical advice. While I’ve been fortunate to find that these have alleviated many of my own symptoms of SAD, suggestions here are purely anecdotal. If you feel any symptoms of depression, please don’t hesitate to reach out for professional help.)

6 Ways I Tackle Seasonal Affective Disorder

1. Get Outside Daily

The most impactful change was to increase my time outdoors during the winter months. Whether for a 10-minute walk in subzero temperatures or a day spent hiking on a balmy 30 degree Saturday, I challenged myself to get outside every day.

When I was working full-time, much of my time outdoors was spent in the bookends of the day, in the dark. The invigorating fresh air and movement were balm enough; I noticed a huge difference in my SAD symptoms that year.

Now as a stay-at-home-mom, I am able to reap the benefits of being out in daylight (less exposure to sunlight has been shown to affect serotonin and melatonin levels and affect your circadian rhythm, all of which can trigger depression).

I truly believe this simple change in itself — consistent fresh air, movement, and daily exposure to sunlight — has been the factor that has most dramatically decreased my personal experience of SAD in recent years.

2. You Just Have to Do It

Despite having finally solidified it as a good habit, I still don’t always want to go outside every day in the winter. Many days I struggle to convince myself to leave the comfort of the house. Bundling up a couple of little boys only further complicates this.

But if I can just go out for 10 minutes, I usually stay longer. And if I don’t, well, at least I got out that day. The same goes for my kids. Knowing that they need it just as much as I do helps keep me accountable.

I’ve noticed that the more we get outside in all kinds of weather (adequately dressed), the more resilient we become. Over time, it just stops being such a big deal.

3. Reserve Certain Things Solely for the Winter Season

The quieter, slower pace of winter pairs really nicely with certain hobbies. I reserve many of my favorites particularly for this season.

This delayed gratification helps associate winter with something positive to look forward to instead of dread. It’s also a great time to learn something new!

Some Favorites:
  • Knitting, crocheting, and other types of fiber arts
  • Baking – This is a great time to experiment, try new recipes/techniques, or learn a new skill like sourdough. Check out recipe books from the library to explore!
  • Reading – Even if you’re a reader year-round, try switching things up by reading “seasonally” for your tastes. I find I crave and enjoy classics, biographies, and more contemplative works more during the cold months, and more light-hearted reads in the spring and summer.
  • Puzzles
  • Wood carving
  • Winter sports – skiing, snowshoeing, skating, hiking, etc.

4. Embrace Hygge

Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is a Norwegian and Danish word that embodies feelings of coziness, contentment, connection, and togetherness.

There are no hard and fast “rules” for hygge. However, certain conditions are particularly  conducive to hygge.

Use Warm Lighting
  • Switch harsh or daylight bulbs out for soft white or warm white versions
  • Hang up string lights (soft or warm white versions)
  • Use candles (real or fake ones!)
  • If you have one, fire up the fireplace often. Or, have winter bonfires!
Incorporate Cozy Fabrics Everywhere
  • Clothing – Warm socks, oversized sweaters, fleeces, wool blends
  • Blankets – Double the amount of blankets laying around; offer lots of different sizes and textures
  • Bedding – flannel bed sheets, thick comforters
Food and Drink
  • Put more soups, casseroles, roasted vegetables, and winter salads into rotation.
  • Cook from scratch – this a great way to slow down and reconnect with the experience of food.
  • Learn how to bake bread. (Here is a great beginner recipe to get you started!)
  • Sit down with a mug of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and take time to actually notice and enjoy the aroma, taste, and warmth on your hands.

5. Spend More Time with Your Favorite People

Winter can often feel rather isolating, which can make the effects of SAD even more profound.

Host regular game or movie nights. Double your favorite chili recipe and extend an invite to a friend. Accept more invitations from friends to do the same.

Also practice being more intentional and present with those who share your home. Use this season of rest as a chance to reconnect. Implement screen-free evenings, gather more around the dinner table together, reassess schedules and activities.

This can be difficult, depending on the season of life you are in, but a little effort goes a long way.

6. Get Out of Town

While winter is a great time to lean into our home atmosphere, it’s important to regularly have a change of scenery.

While this can certainly include an airplane ride to a warmer climate, this isn’t always possible or necessary. Some of our favorite regional-ish winter destinations:

  • The Como Zoo Conservatory in St. Paul – In the depths of winter when when you’re starved for a bit of green, take a weekend getaway and hang out at Como Park indoor gardens for an afternoon. It’s surprisingly therapeutic!
  • Thermea in Winnepeg – This is a bit of a splurge, but the thermal cycle during winter at this Nordic spa is such a unique experience!
  • The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon race start in Duluth, MN – Held in January every year, this is a one-of-a-kind event to go see!
  • Rent a camper cabin – Many of the camper cabins have heat and electricity. This is a fun lodging option for a weekend out skiing/snowshoeing/exploring.
Have fun, and remember: when you look for the good in winter, you will surely find it.

On Enjoying Winter

While Seasonal affective disorder is thought to be attributed to our physiological response to environmental factors, actual enjoyment of this season ultimately comes down to mindset.

It’s much easier to lament winter for what it isn’t than to celebrate it for what it is. Certainly, there are a lot of uncomfortable aspects to winter. But there is a lot of good here too.

Everywhere in nature, winter is the season for rest. It’s easy to become distanced from this natural rhythm in our fast-paced lives. Yet one could argue that we need this annual shift just as much.

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Caitlin Olson
Caitlin grew up in a large family just outside of Fargo. After moving around in her college and Army National Guard years, she settled in Barnesville with her husband, Dan, in 2015. They have two young sons, Oliver and Finn, and two dogs – a Beagle named Frankie and a crazy Lab mix rescue named Haddie. Caitlin was the owner of a small blog and Etsy shop for a couple of years and a licensed veterinary technician for nearly 10 years. She recently set aside all to focus on being a full-time stay-at-home mom. She is hoping to homeschool in the coming years. Caitlin loves the outdoors and is passionate about the benefits of connecting and reconnecting children and adults to nature in a technology-saturated world. Since their infancies, she and her husband have strived to include their boys in all their outdoor pursuits, cultivating a lot of good life lessons through the triumphs and failures this has allowed them. They particularly enjoy hiking/backpacking, tent camping, fishing, gardening, and exploring the nooks and crannies of Minnesota, along with unearthing the diversity in their own (itty bitty) backyard. Caitlin also enjoys reading, woodworking and crafting, learning “homestead-y” skills, birdwatching, traveling, and writing. She’s on a journey of learning to source more locally through makers, farms, and other businesses and loves exploring these resources in the area. Her (unofficial) love language is coffee.

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