Nine Nifty Ways to Kick the Winter Blues to the Curb

I get the Winter Blahs every year. All the rest of the year, I am a cheerful, optimistic person.  I get a little gloomy in December and January, but it’s the middle of February and on through March when I bottom out. It started when I was a kid. Between then and now, I have developed a fairly robust set of countermeasures.

Light therapy and even medication are options if things get serious. At this point for me, I know the nature of this beast and I’m prepared.

1. Drink. Yes, sunshine in a bottle comes in many forms—some with alcohol and some without. Even if you don’t have a favorite alcoholic tipple, you should be drinking water. No sugary drinks do the job a clear, cold glass of water—actually eight glasses of water per day—will do. A little wine or (my personal favorite) Scotch can also chase away the blues for a little while, though moderation is the key lest ye find the demons double in number the next morning.

2. Exercise. Bounce around. Dance. Have sex. Walk. Whatever floats your boat.  Get the blood pumping and make the most of what little sunshine there is by doing it outside—except for the sex unless you live in a more liberal neighborhood than do I. Putting your body in a little physical stress takes your mind off the blues. Plus, if you set a goal (walk 2 miles, dance all the way through the song, or have sex in every room in the house) and you achieve it—you get that boost from a job well done to boot.

3. Do puzzles or play games. Yes, those video games take you out of your body and that’s what you want when you are depressed. Moderation is again the key. Use them as a reward for accomplishing one little thing. I mean, I get to the point where I don’t even want to shower when the blahs are bad. So I set the goal to do a little personal hygiene or house cleaning and then play a game when I finish. For instance, finishing this blog post will net me at least two games of Free Cell.

Note: taking a bubble bath while sipping wine and listening to music after which you reward yourself with a quality hour with the Sims checks a lot of boxes.

4. Listen to music. Upbeat music is the best, something salsa maybe. Being a Goth, I have musical taste similar to that of Morticia Addams, though I would add a set of bagpipes. I listen to classic rock along with traditional and modern Scottish stuff—The Red Hot Chili Pipers (yes, that’s pipers, not peppers. They are a bagrock band on a quest to prove any song sounds good when played on bagpipes) and Run Rig (a Scottish rock group from way back who sing some songs in Scots Gaelic.)

5. Steer clear of downers. If you have acquaintances or family members who gripe constantly, stay away from them in February and March. Tell them you have the flu or you don’t want to get the flu or you have been exposed to the flu—whatever it takes to get them off your back. I have one family member who loves to tell me about the latest tragedy he’s heard on the news in glorious detail. He especially enjoys stories where kids have been senseless killed by accident. I don’t need that right now, thank you.

6. Watch your diet. Some foods add to depression and some foods lift you out of it. Citrus fruit makes you happy—so do almonds and dark chocolate. Vegetables are light and generally make your tummy happy while heavy meats and pastries can bog you down. Too much sugar or bread leads to the blahs once the high wears off. Caffeine is a two-edged sword—take it easy and eat to avoid the jitters.

7. Watch silly movies or binge great TV series. I like monster movies like Tremors or Jurassic Park. Silly horror movies—not slasher movies, but really good scary tales. Nothing helps you forget the blues better than the feeling something is coming for you from the basement. TV series with multiple seasons make a wonderful diversion. Frankie and Grace are fun to binge or maybe old BBC shows like Midsommer Murders, Hamish MacBeth, Father Ted. I’m in season 2 of Murder in Paradise now.

8. Read. Grab a new author (I can recommend any number of them) and binge everything they’ve written. Or revisit a favorite classic. Or a classic you’ve meant to read and never have. Find a great story and jump in. You can hide there for days.

9. Plan for next year. I always plan to take a Caribbean cruise in February but I’ve never been able to follow through. I plan to go south for Mardi Gras or to the Keys, but it hasn’t happened yet. Still, the planning is part of the fun and maybe next year . . . . . Feel free to donate to my Sorchia’s Winter Blahs Prevention Fund.

I joke, but Seasonal Affective Depression affects—to varying degrees--around 20% of those living in North America. It’s a real thing and it really happens. Like any other kind of depression, SAD can limit the quality of life and can even manifest in thoughts of suicide. (In my case, it’s more like thoughts of homicide, but . . .) If you or someone you know gets SAD, be extra gentle and be vigilant.

Your turn! 

Do you get the Winter Blahs or know someone who does? 

What remedies seem to work? 

Even now, at the ripe age of mumblety-two, I still get caught short on some gloomy March days. 

What is your best emergency Blues deterrent?

BTW--I do a little writing to chase away the blues, too. This

year, I posted a serial story titled "A Cold Spring" on this blog and on my own blog, Sorchia's Universe. The story is finished and you can read the entire timey-wimey tale of witches and curses HERE.