Battling Winter Blues. ~ Gemma Louise

The winter blues have hit hard this year and these are the steps I’m taking to help fight them…

I’m trying to post more personal content on my blog, and because my current mental state is affecting my blog, I thought I’d share a post that may help others out too. I have mentioned before that I suffered with depression just before I became pregnant with Reuben, but I haven’t been affected by it ever since then which is nearing to two years ago. I feel like I can talk about it because it’s not that bad – and I mean this in the sense that it could be a lot worse like before, and it’s not constant either. I’m having my ups and I’m having my downs, but generally, I am trying to overcome the lows in every way possible. Depression is a horrible thing for anyone to go through, and it’s very common during winter for people to suffer with it. The actual name for it is SAD which is short for Seasonal Affective Disorder, however it’s also known as winter depression, winter blues, etc. I refer to it as the winter blues just because saying I have SAD sounds a bit silly don’t you think?! Anyway, a lot of my family & friends have suffered or suffer with this so it’s nothing new to me, but suffering with it yourself is a whole other story. It’s affecting my work majorly because when I’m having my lows, I feel so unmotivated and uninspired to get on with anything and when you work for yourself there’s nobody to force you to do something. So recently I’ve been feeling so uninspired to blog, and even when I’ve been able to take some photos, I just can’t motivate myself to actually write the posts. I’m currently sat writing this one with music blaring in my ears because music always makes me feel so happy and positive, therefore giving me a bit of motivation! There are a few things I’ve been doing which have helped me battle the lows, so I’m going to share them incase they maybe help someone else.

Soak up daylight

One of the main causes of winter depression is the fact that it’s so dark all of the time. It’s so important to try and soak up as much light as possible during the day to help fight it off. Getting out the house is a great way to do this, even if it’s just for a short walk. I’m guilty of staying at home for most of the week just because I get so busy doing house chores as well as working and don’t find the time or need to be anywhere. I’m trying to make more of an effort to get out the house, not just for my own sake but also for Reuben’s to get him some fresh air. It would help if I could drive so we could go out to nice places but even a walk into town helps! If you’re stuck at work during the day or can’t leave the house, then sitting by the window and letting as much light in as possible helps too. It was super sunny yesterday and the sun was actually annoying me with how bright it was shining into my kitchen, but it made me feel so cheery – it was fab!

Stay chill

I’ve noticed whenever I’m stressed out, my depression is far worse. I see everything much worse than it is, I get really angry and a tiny bit of stress can lead to me wanting to rip my hair out. Try and avoid as many stressful situations as possible. I know from personal experience that this is not as easy as it sounds, my one year old isn’t going to stop having tantrums or making my house a tip – even if I asked him nicely. I think the best thing to do is just breathe through it and try and stay as chilled as you can. I’ve been taking a step back and just thinking about a situation and how it could be a lot worse to try and stop myself from getting so stressed out.

Talk it out

I absolutely hate talking about my feelings, it’s just not for me at all. I noticed I’d been feeling really down for around a week before I finally spoke to my sister and my parents about it and as soon as I had actually talked about it, I felt better. It’s really good to explain to your close family and friends how you’re feeling so that you can get it off your chest rather than keeping it locked up. Depression is something that is easily hidden and everyone around you could have no idea just how down you’re feeling inside. Tell them so they can help you deal with it, and they might even be suffering too so you can help each other. I get that it can feel embarrassing or awkward to talk about these things but I promise you will feel so much better if you do! Not everyone will get it, but if those people really love you then they will stand by you and be there for you whatever you need.

Exercise

I can’t really believe I’m writing this one because I absolutely hate exercise. If you want to do a full blown workout, by all means go ahead, but for me just getting out for a walk is enough. It’s good for your body to release endorphins and a walk is a great way to do that. I fancied getting out the house the other day so I went to a little village nearby that I hadn’t been to before and the fresh air and the exercise did me the world of good (even though it was freezing!) I ended up walking down a very very steep hill with a buggy in tow so I sure as hell got a good workout pushing it back up again!

Do things you enjoy

I have the outlook on life that it’s too short to not enjoy, so if I fancy doing something or buying something then I do. I don’t mean going absolutely wild, but say I reallllly want something, then I will get it! I’m not going to have another lifetime to get it so why the hell not?! If I’ve been eating unhealthily but really fancy a takeaway or some cake, I’ll have it. Okay so some people might not do that and I don’t mean every single time I have naughty cravings, but sometimes you just gotta treat yourself because life is short! These are only little things I know, but it’s all these little things that can make your week better, therefore making you happier in general.

Get away sore subject

It can be good to get away every now and again, to just take a break from life and get out of your normal routine. I had planned on doing this in two weeks time (my little holiday to Italy) but then Monarch decided to go bankrupt and I lost my flights. I’m hoping to rebook it for next year but it’s still a bit gutting, especially since I could really do with getting some sun now more than ever. I’m kind of over it now since I only booked it a couple of months ago, I’m just disappointed more than anything. Anyway, back to the point. You don’t have to go abroad to have a little getaway, even a couple of nights in a different city would do you the world of good. I’m planning on going down to London or Cornwall for a couple of nights with Reuben. No idea when but I just want to take him to explore new places, it will do us both some good to have a break from our normal routine.

Music

I don’t think I’ve ever met a single person who doesn’t love music. We all do right? Music makes me feel so happy, for some reason. I don’t even know what it is about it, it just instantly makes me feel so positive. I’d tell you my favourites but I’d be here all day and my taste is so broad. I am thinking about booking some tickets to an All Time Low gig next year, they’re my favourite band ever and I absolutely love them live. I saw them a couple of years ago and got to meet them and it was fab, I would kill to do it again! I feel like I should just go for it?!