Getting 'winter ready' for our mental health

So we’re in October already. How did that happen? It feels like we were planting the spring bulbs not that long ago, taking the covers off the garden furniture and wasn’t there a heatwave the other day?

It’s getting darker, it’s getting colder, and we’ve already been told to anticipate a pretty rotten next few months when it comes to the weather. It won’t be long before we’re starting off our working day in the dark and it’ll already be dark by finishing time.

All of this can affect our energy levels, our mood and our mental health. For those of us with Seasonal Affective Disorder or already living with depression, the darker months can hit pretty hard.

When I’m talking to clients about what we can and can’t control, I often bring the weather into it. We can’t do anything about the weather; it will do what it does and we have no control over it.

All we can take action on is how we respond to it, and, you’ve guessed it, preparation. If you needed to pop out to the shops on a rainy day, you’d put on a waterproof jacket or take an umbrella, and think nothing more of it. You would take action!

So, I’d like to set a wee challenge for you today. How are you going to look after your mental health as the night’s draw in?

Could we get out more? Up our exercise routine? Maybe go to more classes at the gym than just working out on our own?

Can we give ourselves permission to dig out the hobbies or start a new one?  Can you master something new over the winter? Something that you’ve always wanted to try but never get around to?

What can we do to make the most of the precious few hours of sun that we get in the winter months? Could we shake up our daily routine, and get out for some fresh air at lunchtime?

The darker evenings are the perfect time for some atmospheric D&D or board games with pals. Games nights! Movie clubs! A regular fixture can keep our social batteries safely charged.

Whatever we need is ultimately personal and up to us, but now, a few weeks before the clocks go back, is the perfect time for us to think about it and put some plans in place.

If you would like to take the plunge and start working with a BACP-accredited professional on your mental health you can get in touch with me via the website or contact me directly on mckellarCBT@gmail.com.