For those of us who have mental health challenges, winter can often be a tough time. The cold, the grey days, and the lack of sunlight, in general, can play havoc with our mental health. Christmas approaching can often bring a lot of additional stress and pressure. And of course this year we have the coronavirus pandemic complicating this even further. In this blog, I will share some of the strategies and tools* I am using to survive the double hit of winter and the pandemic.
My COVID Winter Plan
I shared in a recent video how I noticed that my stress levels were increasing. Some of this was due to my working too hard and saying yes to too much. However, I realized that some of it was due to winter approaching and knowing that Christmas would have to be done differently due to COVID-19. I am not the biggest fan of Christmas at the best of times!
Additionally, as it was looking increasingly more likely that we would be in lockdown here in the UK heading into winter, and possibly Christmas, I decided to prepare by putting a solid plan in place to look after my mental health and wellbeing. I hope some of these tips may be useful to you too, in preparing for a COVID winter.
Reviewing Medication
The first thing l decided to do, was to review my anti-depressant medication with my GP. I want to remind everyone, that there is absolutely no shame in taking medication. An anti-depressant can help us to be able to manage our mental health. I know that when I am too low, it can feel impossible to do what I need to do to look after myself. Medication can help lift my mood enough, so that I then have the energy to follow my self-care routine.
I have recently been taking Mirtazapine. I was swapped onto this medication last year when my mum died. It suited me initially, as it helped me to sleep. However, it has now been making me feel too sleepy, and as I already deal with fatigue from hypothyroidism, this was not helpful! It has also been giving me horrendous restless legs at night. So, I decided to discuss this with my GP. I have now stopped the Mirtazapine and have started taking Venlafaxine instead. So far, this new medication shows promising signs of working well for me.
Keeping Things Simple
The next thing l did was to take an honest look at my life to see where l could simplify things and cut back on commitments. I use the acronym REDUCE to help me address rising stress levels, you can read about that here. Working through the REDUCE acronym helps me to see what tasks I can cut back on. It also reminds me to look at my boundaries and say no to what I cannot manage. Not only would simplifying things in this way help to reduce stress, but it would also give me the space I need to adapt to the change in medication. Simplifying things is vital to relieve some pressure and give me more time to relax. I plan to keep things simple for the entire period of this COVID winter.
Implementing Flexibility
A large part of keeping things simple for me means using a ton of flexibility in my life. Working, studying, and just living life around fluctuating mental and physical health conditions, is really tricky. Therefore, having flexibility, to adjust daily depending on our needs, is an incredibly valuable tool. I have yet another acronym for this, I am a fan of acronyms! My TIME flexibility tool helps me to look at everything I need to do, and then look at ways to bring aspects of flexibility into all my daily tasks. For an overview and explanation of how I use this in my daily life, this video lays it out clearly.
Taking Supplements
I am a big fan of supplements; they can help improve our vitamin intake for anything we might be missing and boost our immune system. Keeping physically well is vital for our mental wellbeing. I take vitamin c and zinc to help bolster my immune system. To help with the tiredness, I use spirulina, which when mixed in a shake with a banana actually tastes OK! I also take a high dose of vitamin D, which is really important in the winter when our exposure to sunlight is low.
Using a light Therapy (SAD) Lamp
The lack of sunlight can cause a drop in mood for many people. Lots of people get very serious depression over winter, often called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Â Light therapy lamps can help to replace the lack of light, simulating sunlight. It is thought that light therapy lamps help the brain to reduce melatonin which causes tiredness and increase serotonin, which improves mood.
I am certainly someone who notices a distinct drop in mood over winter, and I have been meaning to try a light therapy lamp. With the double whammy of winter and the COVID19 pandemic, I decided that this was the perfect time to invest! It is important to make sure you buy one that is at least 10,000 lux and medically certified as suitable to treat SAD.
I have been using mine for a month now and l am really enjoying it. I use it for 20 minutes first thing in the morning, and then 20 minutes at midday. One thing I have noticed is that my medication transition has been relatively easy, especially compared to transitions in the past. Therefore I feel the light must be having an impact in helping to support my mood.
Connecting with Support
One of the most important things, especially right now with the stress lots of us are under, is to connect with support. There should never be any fear or shame in asking for help, whether that is from a professional or a friend. One of the positive things about the pandemic is that there are now many support services popping up online. Additionally, because it is well recognized that COVID-19 is having an impact on people’s mental health, there are lots of charities that have been given funding to provide support for those in need. Reach out to your GP and have a look online. I also have some helplines listed on my resources page.
Recently, I engaged with a local LGBT service, who were offering counselling sessions. I have found these weekly sessions to be incredibly helpful, and it is because of these that I am heading into winter wiser and more prepared
Getting Enough Rest and Relaxation
Stress plays havoc with our ability to relax and sleep properly. Sleep is essential for our mental wellbeing and a lack of proper sleep leaves us with little energy to take care of ourselves. I have been sleeping badly for months. Not only am I having restless nights, but some incredibly strange dreams too! Speaking to various people, it seems many people have noticed a change in their sleep patterns during this pandemic and are also having odd dreams.
I recently discovered a wonderful little tool which has transformed my nights! A friend recommended a Bluetooth sleep mask. I had never heard of such a thing. It wraps around your head like a sleep mask and has small speakers in the fabric. This means you can settle down to sleep without wires from headphones, or without headphones digging into your ears. This is ideal for me as I am a side sleeper, so wearing headphones to go to sleep never worked for me.
I am sleeping so much better. At night I pair my sleep mask with Insight Timer and I listen to meditations and relaxing soundscapes. I nod off quickly and am sleeping much more peacefully. I don’t know how I lived so long without this!
What Tips Do You Have for Coping With a COVID Winter?
These are just some of the things l have been doing to help me bolster my resilience and look after myself as we travel through this COVID winter season, alongside the pandemic restrictions. I hope they might be useful to you, please do let me know in the comment section below. And, if you have any tips for how you cope with this time of year, I would love to hear them! Thanks for reading, stay well!
Hello! My name is Finn and I have a passion for creating honest content, that inspires personal growth and promotes well-being.
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