If the colder months of the year make you want to curl up under a blanket and hibernate through the winter like a bear in a cave, you’re not alone. It can be challenging to find ways to stay active during this time of year, but at Highland Hospital Behavioral Health in Charleston, West Virginia, we have some ideas for you.
What Physical Activity Does for Mental Health
Staying active doesn’t just make you physically stronger; it also makes your brain healthier by:
- Helping you to “practice” managing stress by simulating the mental stress response and then safely resolving it when you exercise
- Providing distractions from difficulties
- Increasing the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain, which can allow for clearer thinking and better decision-making
- Making it easier to get good quality sleep in the right amounts of time
- Reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression
- Increasing your sense of accomplishment
- Providing opportunities for human interaction
Exercising
Doctors recommend about 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week for most people, but your needs may vary due to age or medical conditions. You should consult your doctor before starting to exercise if you have not been working out previously.
It’s important to have a plan for when you cannot get outdoors to exercise, as this can be a significant barrier in the winter months. Charleston has a YMCA and numerous other gyms where people can work out. The Y offers discount rates for children, college students, single-parent households, and seniors. Joining classes at a gym can also be a great way to make friends and give yourself a set time for working out, which might make it easier to follow through than just having a gym membership with no set schedule for when you will use it. Many gyms offer childcare to make it easier for parents to get in their workouts. You can also consider exercise routines that allow your children to participate.
If you cannot afford a gym membership or just don’t want to pay for one, you may be able to find other indoor spaces where you can walk, such as a mall or other shopping location, a community center, or even your place of work.
Getting Outside
Yes, it’s cold and gray, but on the days when you can get some time out in the fresh air, it can be greatly beneficial to your mental health to do so, particularly if you struggle with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that hits most people in the winter months. You might not be able to do your whole workout routine outdoors when it’s cold, but even a short walk outside can improve your mental health. Phototherapy can be a way to simulate sunlight on days when you cannot get outside, which is also one of the recommended ways to address SAD.
Volunteering
Having a reason to get out of the house can make it easier to leave the cozy comforts of home behind. Volunteer work can also help you to build connections to other people, find meaning in life, and increase your appeal to employers. Some volunteer activities, such as walking dogs at an animal shelter or cleaning at a non-profit, can also double as exercise.
Your Own Way of Staying Active
What matters most is that you find a way to stay active, that you enjoy, and that works for you. If you don’t like the activity you’re doing or you’re pushing yourself too hard and it results in an injury, you’re not going to accomplish the goal of promoting emotional well-being. You don’t have to run just because that’s what someone else does. If you prefer swimming, dancing, yoga, or walking, do that instead.
At Highland Hospital Behavioral Health, we recognize and celebrate the uniqueness of each patient we serve. Each care plan we develop is tailored to meet the individual needs of that person, offering evidence-based practices in a trauma-informed setting, where our patients are safe, and their dignity is preserved.
