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Man, what a year. All of my conversations with friend and family recently include our astonishment at everything we’ve been through in 2020 and the truth is, it’s not over yet.
I’ve been reading a lot of dire warnings from public health officials about the next couple of months as COVID cases explode with estimates that deaths will double by February. It’s hard to even imagine.
So, here we are. Winter has begun for many of us across the country, including for me here in Michigan. The holidays, no matter what you decide to do, aren’t going to be the same and people all around us are getting sick and too many are dying. All of this at the end of a year where many of us have been socially isolated, stressed beyond belief, stuck at home, virtual schooling, losing our job, and the list goes on. If this isn’t a recipe for widespread depression, then I don’t know what is.
The truth is the next couple of months are probably going to suck. We’ll be restricted for a lot of it and still impacted by the pandemic for all of it. You will be more likely to experience stress-related anxiety and depression symptoms and so will the people you love. BUT the good news is, there are steps you can take to mitigate the impact, prevent long-term damage, and prepare you to return to a healthier state of mind once a vaccine becomes more widespread and things start to return to normal.
Here’s my list of 5 concrete things you can do during the next few months to combat the winter blues and COVID depression and prepare yourself for what’s to come:
1. Go outside.
I already know what a lot of you are going to say. Go outside? It’s cold, I want to stay inside. I get it, I really do. I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life and up until a few years ago, I would spend as little time outdoors in the winter as I could.
BUT going outside is too good for your mental health to stop, even if it is cold. You don’t have to stay out long but bundling up and going out for a walk will go a long way to prevent that seasonal depression from kicking in or lessen it's intensity when it does.
The truth is our bodies were not made to sit inside in front of screens all day. Our bodies developed when we were all living outside looking for resources. Part of your mind and body working at its optimal level is making sure that it gets sunlight, fresh air, and movement as often as you can. You’ll be shocked at the impact it has.
2. Focus on what you can control.
I’ve said this before but it’s important enough to say it again, spending too much time focusing on all the scary things you can’t control will do nothing but exacerbate whatever negative feelings you already have.
The #1 healthy coping skill that I’ve learned in my twenty year mental health journey is to not let myself engage in worrying, dreading, or ruminating. I’m obviously not perfect and still fall short sometimes but becoming more conscious of how I allow myself to sit and stew in negative thoughts and feelings and choosing a different line of thinking has been revolutionary.
We really can’t control any of this except our reactions to it. This pandemic is happening no matter how we feel about it. Let’s make our strategy to use the time as productively as we can including engaging in radical self care. Instead of wasting time worrying about what might be, let’s focus on keeping ourselves and our families safe and healthy until things return to some sense of normal again.
3. Foster gratitude.
When things are overwhelmingly stressful, especially when they’ve been overwhelmingly stressful for a long time, it is too easy to fall into negative thinking. For a lot of us this includes the tendency to focus on what is wrong in any given situation instead of what is right.
This mental habit of focusing on what’s wrong instead of what’s right is an extremely common and difficult one for lots of people. Many of us learned it from our families or developed it as we tried to make sense of life’s disappointments and difficulties.
This habit can also be a huge contributor to feelings of anxiety or depression. Just think about it for a second. If you’re always seeing and focusing on the negative that will naturally cause you to feel more worried or sad about life. That’s why it’s important to intentionally learn to see the good side of things which is where fostering gratitude comes in.
You can do this in many ways (here’s a Google search to get you started) but the important thing is to start training your mind to find the good in things. This will go a long way to supporting good mental health and making your more resilient when dealing with stress or adversity.
4. Practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness is another skill that, like gratitude, is foundational to building more positive mental health. We all have more time than usual during quarantine and a really good use of that time would be building your mindfulness skills.
Mindfulness, also like gratitude, can be done in a variety of ways (here’s another Google search to get you started on that). My favorite way is meditation which I know a lot people are adverse to. BUT meditation only takes like 5-10 mins a day and you don’t have to do it every day to see results. It literally supercharges your mindfulness skills and you get BIG results for a little bit of effort. (Here’s another article I wrote on the misconceptions of meditation if you’re interested in learning more.)
Whatever you do, take some time to research what mindfulness is, what you can do to build mindfulness, and start practicing. It will be well worth your time and also makes you more resilient to stress.
5. Try out hygge.
Hygge is a Danish concept that I ran across a few years ago and really liked. I’ve been using hygge-ish ideas already in the winter to make it more enjoyable.
Hygge is a set of practices that foster feelings of coziness and contentment being indoors when it is cold outside. Hygge can include things like fuzzy socks, comfortable pajamas, hot chocolate, reading a book, playing games, doing a puzzle, or cooking a meal. Really, hygge includes whatever you can do to make being indoors feel cozy and fun instead of boring or depressing.
With a little intention, you can make this winter much more manageable for yourself and your loved ones by finding creative ways to enjoy yourself indoors or creating things to look forward to.
This winter is going to challenge all of us in different ways just like this year has. However, with a little intention and support, we can make it through winter more healthy than we we started. We can use this time as a launchpad for growth or a period of rest or reflection instead of just seeing it as a waste.
(Side note: I’d like to clarify that not all stress-related symptoms can be treated with these tips and may need professional intervention. A good indicator of the need for professional assistance is if your symptoms are negatively impacting you in the various areas of your life like at home, with your loved ones, or at work or school. If you find yourself thinking of harming others, suicide or death, then it is definitely time to seek professional help for depression. You can find resources in your area here.)
We’d love to hear how you are planning to deal with this upcoming winter in the comments below.
If you want to learn more about the Depression Therapy we provide, click here.
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