Winter can be a difficult time with the dark nights and then even darker mornings, couple that with the cold weather, and winter can really take its toll on your mental health, we’ve compiled 6 great tips to beat the winter blues.

Get some Vitamin D

Got the winter blues or suffering from SAD, you may need some sunlight. As little as 10 minutes a day of the sun could help improve your symptoms.

Stay active

You may feel your energy has vanished, but if you can, try and go for a walk. A study by The University of Georgia showed “sedentary people who regularly complain of fatigue can increase their energy levels by 20 percent and decrease their fatigue by 65 percent by engaging in regular, low-intensity exercise.”

Meditate

Think mediation means sitting cross-legged in a dark room chanting ‘ooommm’, think again. Walking meditation is now a thing. Check out Greater Good in Actions guide to walking mediation. All you need is 10 minutes a day.

Spend time with friends

According to a Tedx Talk by 99 Walks Co-Founder Joyce Shulman, women who regularly walk with their friends are 2.5x less likely to be lonely. So pick up the phone or meet up in person and get walking. Johns Hopkins Centre for Sleep reported solid evidence that exercise can help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality. Just 30 minutes of walking a week can improve the quality of that night’s sleep.

Get some shut-eye

Sleep is vital to keep you healthy and happy. But sometimes you can struggle to get to sleep or even stay asleep. Guess what helps, yep… Walking… Again. Walking with your friends, walking alone meditating or just simply enjoying a walk with to wind down.

Pamper yourself

Sometimes you just need a good pamper to give yourself a boost. A new haircut, a relaxing massage. A fab set of new nails. Whatever you enjoy, take some time for yourself.

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