Beat the winter blues, brighten up

Cleveland, January 31: Freezing hands, layers of clothes, chilly breeze… do these days of the dim sun bring depressiondefine for you? Read on.

While, optimism is known to be directly proportional to sunshine, the relation between freezing weather and melancholy has also been long talked about. Now, scientists have found a justification to these beliefs.

Winters cause the levels of vitamin D in our body to go down, as sunlight is one of the major sources of the vitamin. And low levels of vitamin D are known to result in that state of low feeling, which we label as depressiondefine.

Flaxseed oil and oily fish like salmon, sardines and herring are recommended by experts to help make up for the lesser sunlight.

"Spending 10 or 15 minutes a day in front of light acts on brain chemistry and will lift your spirits,” said Cleveland Clinic Executive Coach Joe Janesz.

The economic downturn added with the hangover of holiday-season bills may also contribute to the generalized gloominess.

With people not prepared to leave their warm quilts, the lassitude that normally sets in during the cold months further adds to the sad feelings. Exercise helps release neurotransmitters that are proven mood elevators, so do not hibernate. Move!

And at the same time, sleep sufficiently. Winter might make you want to sleep more – but try to fight it. Excessive sleep can cause sadness as can inadequate sleep. So try to doze off for 7 - 9 hours a night.

People who experience many symptoms during the dark months, year-after-year, suffer from the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). One must consult a doctor if the symptoms are strong and have a major influence on the daily life.

Also, to keep going good in the cold weather try to make the atmosphere light, laugh and remind yourself that winters bring along the opportunity to do a lot of fun things.

Think of cups of piping hot coffee over long evening chats with friends, bonfires, long boots, furs, sun parties, all those delicacies which you can easily tuck away and hide the bulge in layers of clothes... besides the cold weather is just the perfect excuse to snuggle up with your partner. So go on, enjoy before it starts melting.