The winter months can be a challenging time for many of us, with the shorter days and colder weather all playing a part in affecting our mental and physical health. Combined with the added pressures of the festive season and this can be a difficult time for many people.
Even without additional stressors, this time of year can be a struggle. In the UK 41% of people find the winter to have a negative impact on their mental health. Meanwhile, Google searches for ‘seasonal affective disorder’ rise by approximately 500%, with many finding that the colder months negatively influence their motivation, mood and productivity.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust supports over two million people, providing a whole range of mental and physical health services for communities and patients across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. As winter closes in, our experts are here to support you, sharing their tips to stay mentally and physically well this winter.
Dr Ian McCafferty - Consultant psychiatrist and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Mental Health at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “Looking after our mental health has never been more important and even a few small things can help us stay resilient and deal with challenges. Learning how to reframe things, how to be more mindful or even just recognising how much better we feel by simply being outside can really help. Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight there are whole range of services that can support you to do this. The most important step is to reach out if you need to.”
Connect with others
Connecting with others is important for our mental health and can help us to feel better even when we don’t feel like socialising. There are lots of different ways to do this whether it’s in person, online or over the phone. Spending quality time with friends or family, talking to someone about how we are feeling or finding ways to help other people can all help to improve your mental wellbeing.
Live a healthy life
Our mental health goes hand in hand with our physical health and there are small changes we can make to take care of both. Being active, enjoying the outdoors and having a healthy, balanced diet can all help to boost mental wellbeing. Also, binning bad habits like smoking, and cutting down on alcohol and caffeine can have a positive effect on our mood. You can find support of how to do this on the Live Well website.
Do something for yourself
When we don’t feel our best, it can stop us from doing enjoyable activities but it’s important to find the time to do things just for you. This might be your favourite hobby, learning something new or simply taking time to relax. Allowing yourself to figure out what hobbies or activities make us happy can help to boost your mood, lower stress, and build confidence
Look for the positives
Sometimes we might develop patterns of thoughts that are unhelpful. This affects the way we feel and can lead to unhelpful actions, but it is possible to recognise, challenge and replace our unhelpful thoughts. Learning how to do this can really help to improve our mental health and wellbeing.
Be aware of your limits with constant negative news
Sometimes it feels impossible to avoid negative news, whether it is the climate, a conflict, cost of living or something else. Think about how much information and news you take in and be aware of how it can affect you. ‘Doom scrolling’ – the act of constantly scrolling through negative news stories – can have a significant impact on our mental health. It may be a good idea to mute or turn off news notifications on your smartphone, or limit your news intake to reading a morning paper or watching the evening news.
Be in the here and now
Sometimes we can get caught up in worrying about the future or things we can’t control. Take some time to sit quietly and think about how you feel right now. Look at what is around you, what you are thinking about right now. This can help you gain a better perspective and feel better. This is known as being more mindful.
Get a good night’s sleep
Getting good-quality sleep is so important for our mental health and can make a big difference to how we feel. It’s important to get enough sleep and there are lots of things that can help us to develop a healthy sleeping routine. These include: keeping regular sleep hours, create a calm environment, move a bit more, write down your worries and put down the caffeine and alcohol. More tips can be found here: Sleep problems - Every Mind Matters - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
If you need us, it doesn’t matter what season it is, we will always be here to support you. Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight there are lots of ways to support yourself or a loved one – from self-care to talking therapies to urgent crisis support. If you feel you need help, then ask straight away.