Whether you live in the Snow Belt or not, the short winter days that follow the holiday excitement can be just plain depressing. For ways to keep our spirits up during the winter months enhance your sense of well-being even during winter's darkest and dullest days.

Keep Exercising

For some people, maintaining a routine exercise program becomes too much of a chore in winter, so they avoid exercise. That explains much of the lethargy and bad moods that descends on us at this time of year. One of the best ways to avoid feeling depressed is to have high energy levels which helps to lowered tension. Exercise directly impacts both, and all it takes for most of us is five to ten minutes per day.

You can increase your energy and keep it revved up for several hours through the simplest exercise of all, a five to ten minute brisk walk. Now if you do a little test and see the difference on how you feel after a brisk ten minute walk against eating a candy bar. I am sure you will feel far less depression after the walk, and far less energy after eating the candy bar. You will get an immediate rise in energy from the candy bar but by the end of an hour you will have even less energy than before you ate the candy, and you will probable feel significantly more tension. By taking a brisk walk you will feel a substantial rise in energy and this will continue for several hours as well. According to some folk, a 10-minute walk also gives them a cheerful outlook and makes their thinking a lot clearer.

An added benefit of a daily walk is the absorption of invigorating sunshine. "Exposure of the unblocked eye to sunlight causes the pineal gland in the brain to make less melatonin. This hormone, which may cause symptoms of depression, is produced at increased levels in the dark." Even on a cloudy day, the sun's benefits will come through.

Please Note:

People with glaucoma or cataracts should avoid direct sunlight.

More Exercise Equals More Energy

For some, five to ten minutes is not quite enough to get them past the winter blues. So I would recommend performing about 45 minutes of harder exercise, such as aerobic training, weight lifting or another suitable exercise, you will immediately reduce tension. Although your energy level will take longer to improve, you're likely to feel tired for about an hour after this kind of workout but it will surge shortly after that and stay high for a number of hours. I feel that this type of exercise is the best antidote to negative moods, including anxiety and frustration, or what he describes as "tense tiredness."

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