Do you get a case of the winter blues every year?
Here are 5 tips to help boost your serotonin and keep your hormones in check!
The winter months have a tendency to bring in the winter blues or seasonal affective disorder. This affects an estimated 10 million Americans and in particular people with endocrine disorders like hypothyroidism.
Many just brush it off blaming the cold weather but it is a serious mental health condition.
Why does this happen?
Factors such as less exposure to sunlight and less activity plus restrictions due to COVID 19 all play key roles.
On top of this, there is a direct link between serotonin production (serotonin is our happy hormone) and exposure to sunlight!
Symptoms include :
✔️ Fatigue
✔️ Increased appetite
✔️ Irritable
✔️ Inability to focus
✔️ Decreased libido
How to Beat the Winter Blues
1. Stay Active
Staying active with an exercise routine is a powerful way to combat the winter blues. It can boost serotonin as well as endorphins creating a natural surge of euphoric feelings.
Exercise has also been shown to be effective in helping with mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication.
2. If you can exercise outside, even better!
Get some sunlight in as much as you can because it actually helps regulate serotonin! Sunlight also helps us produce vitamin D which boosts serotonin levels naturally!
3. Stay Connected with Others
Reach out more often to friends and family. This might be more challenging due to COVID 19 but there are so many different ways to connect with others. Call a friend or have a fun call over zoom.
This will help with feelings of isolation.
4. Eat Balanced Meals
Though stress and feelings of sadness might have you reaching for some sweet treats, try your best to get in as many nutritious foods as possible. In particular, make sure NOT to cut out major food groups like carbohydrates.
This is important because healthy sources of carbohydrates such as berries, sweet potatoes, and oats are nature's version of comfort food.
Finally:
5. Seek Professional Help
If you feel like it is too overwhelming, do not hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional.
There are so many people that are going through the same and we need to end the stigma behind mental health issues!