Using DBT For Adapting to Winter
The start of the Winter season brings cooler weather, beautiful scenery, and fun activities. With these aspects, Winter can also bring a decline in mental health with the shorter days, change in routine and the decrease in sunlight. This could look like having a diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder or it could just be a subtle mood shift. (1) We can learn helpful information from Winter, to rest or take things slower, but we should still feel inclined to adjust our emotion regulation routine, so we can still get the helpful mental health benefits from engaging in welcoming Winter. An emotion regulation routine includes treating physical illnesses, getting twenty minutes of movement per day, avoiding mood altering drugs and alcohol, sleeping 7-9 hours, and eating three balanced meals. (2) When someone is aware of this upcoming shift in mood, this information can bring an opportunity to identify what about the Winter season affects your mental health, and ways to adjust to these changes.
During the Winter it is common to spend more time indoors and spend less time outside as the temperature declines. While, it may be tempting to stay inside and curl up next to a fire, it is important to get outside daily. With less daylight, it is preferable one would get outside during the day, but if that is not realistic for ones work schedule, consulting a doctor about adding more Vitamin D in your diet could be a helpful solution. (3) Of course, making sure to bundle up if making it a daily habit to get outside during the Winter.
Winter can bring an increase in social events, for better or worse. If one is losing motivation for engaging in accessing a support system, this is the time to act opposite to that emotion. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy has a skill named Opposite Action. (4) The skill encourages to act opposite to unpleasant emotions. With Winter causing an increase in depressive mood and lowered motivation, the opposite emotion to follow would be to feel connected, engaged, amongst many other helpful emotions. This does not mean that one would have to fake not feeling the unpleasant emotion, but rather using the motivation to reach out to a support system and letting the support lead you to feeling connected to yourself and with others.
Lastly, it is so vital to plan pleasant activities daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. These activities will vary. Planning pleasant activities into your routine can give you an increase in dopamine, the “happy hormone”. With the lack of sunlight, it can impact our brain chemistry by decreasing dopamine and serotonin levels. Being intentional about engaging in activities that will promote these hormones will impact motivation, focus, pleasure and reward. (5) If you are concerned that you may be impacted by Seasonal Affective Disorder, be sure to consult with a medical provider or make an appointment with one of our staff at Salyer Counseling Group. Winter can be fun, as long as we are engaging in the coping skills that make our brain happy!
