LIVING WELL IN WINTER
How to thrive in our coldest season
Keeping our spirits up in winter is no easy feat. Despite dealing with the cold for a good portion of our year, a pre-pandemic poll revealed 64 per cent of Canadians say January is their least favourite month.
Limited light, frigid temps and the daunting prospect of further lockdowns would make anyone want to hibernate and awaken once the gloom is over. But what if we learned to love winter? Four western Canadian experts say it's possible. Here's a look at how to boost your mood during these dark days of winter:
You might be thinking it's not possible to foster positive associations with winter, yet according to Calgary registered psychologist Rea Kowal, it is.
“Oftentimes people see winter and cold weather in a negative way, but from a physiological perspective, it's good to subject ourselves to it as it boosts the immune system. We're hardwired to be in tune with nature and it's good for us to get outdoors, no matter the season.”
The key is finding an outdoor activity you enjoy. It can be as simple as going for a walk, which provides fresh air and exercise, but also helps to curb cabin fever by removing yourself from your household. Just remember to employ proper physical distancing protocols.
As unpleasant as cold weather may seem, it provides a host of well-documented health benefits, from reducing inflammation to boosting metabolism.
“Cold tends to give us a flightor-flight response, but you can learn to train the nervous system to override this. If you're willing to put in a minute of discomfort, you'll get hours of rewards,” says Cian Dalton, a certified Wim Hof Method instructor and owner of Vancouver's The Stretch Space.
As a starting point, Dalton recommends finishing off your shower with a 15-second blast of cold water. During that blast, it's important to breathe slowly.
“Focus on a slow exhale to signal to your body you're not in danger. When you soften into this challenge, you'll find it's not as threatening as you thought. Breath is key to this softening,” Dalton says.
Brilliant in its accessibility, a cold shower requires no special equipment, extra time or money, and you're sure to feel energized afterward. In fact, studies have shown this type of adapted shower can improve our resilience to stress.
“Regular practice changes your relationship with the cold from reacting to noticing,” Dalton says.
Underpinning any successful change requires a shift in mindset. Instead of focusing on all that's wrong with this season (and the world), challenge yourself to thinking, “How can I make this winter my best one yet?”
“It's about training your mind to look for what's right instead of what's wrong,” says mindset coach Tracey Delfs, who runs wellness workshops at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. “Life is lived in the present, so we need to get out of the `I'll be happy when …' mindset to `how can you savour today?' ”
Delfs suggests brainstorming and making a list of all the fun, unique things you can't do in other seasons. Kowol echoes this game plan.
“Developing a positive mindset towards winter is essential for thriving this season. You can trick your brain into being happy. Check in with what you need to know and then fill your time with joyful things.”
Let's not forget, winter can be fun! Snowshoeing, fat biking, cross-country skiing, sledding, building a snowman — all can be done while maintaining public health orders.
Despite the new restrictions, it is possible to feel connected to others beyond Zoom and Facetime.
“We can connect through caring,” Kowal says. “In doing things for others, like shovelling a neighbour's walk, we can feel that sense of connection even though it's not face to face.”
We can also connect to ourselves by using this abundant time at home to lavish ourselves in self-care. Low-lit days are ripe for introspection, meditation, diving into a classic novel or getting that extra sleep our bodies crave. Just don't stress out it if your version of self-care involves a little comfort food.
“There are worse ways of coping. Most people do eat more when stressed — it's quite a natural response to fight or flight. But food isn't necessarily a problem if you have various other ways of coping,” registered dietitian Cheryl Strachan says.
Having an arsenal of strategies in our tool box that we're able to pull out as the need arises is what thriving in winter is all about. And living in unprecedented times requires each of us to be flexible.
“We need to be willing to learn new behaviours. There are blessings and challenges in every situation. On the surface, trauma seems really bad, but there's always learning to be had,”
Kowol says.