Stuck Inside With The Winter Blues?

Turn up the creativity and the heat this winter to combat the blues.

Feeling less social?  Watching too much TV?  A little down?  Here’s some ideas to get things jumpstarted while you’re still in the middle of winter.

Just because it’s winter and a big cold front is passing through doesn’t mean you have to settle for less.  Remember!  You’re in the driver’s seat and only you are responsible for achieving your optimal state of health– both physically and mentally.  You can take control of both and achieve, and even surpass your goals for this year!

Ways To Fight The Winter Blues

1. Static back stretch:  According to sports-physical therapist Peter Egoscue, this is the easiest and the best way to eliminate physical pain.  All you have to do is lie on the floor with your knees propped up in a chair or bench.  It’s that easy!  We all know that there’s a definitely link between physical pain and mental health.  If you’re in pain, it affects your mood, you’re whole being.  Lie in this position on the floor, perhaps with a yoga mat or carpet underneath, and breathe deeply from your belly for 15-20 minutes.  If you get into a rhythm, it can even be meditative, especially for folks who aren’t interested in meditation.  Try it and see what happens!
2. Freshen up on an old hobby.  What hobbies did you do in the past that you could dust off and start trying again?  Sketching, painting, poetry, playing music, wood working, knitting?  It’s not that hard to try something new, and it’s good for your mental health to get that stimulation from something other than TV or Netflix.
3. Do some cleaning.  We mean the deep cleaning that you haven’t done in a few months or maybe even a few years.  Re-organize your space and consider getting rid of some clutter.  Clean out your closet and find a few things that you haven’t used or worn in a long time.  Donate items to Goodwill or another thrift store.  Although it can be hard to part with things, it usually feels good in the end.
4. Get off the computer and into a book–as soon as you finish this article.  We know it’s kind of ironic to read an article on the computer that says “turn off your computer,” but trust us.  Stop the computer-screen stare and get some pages between your hands.  Not an avid reader?  Get a magazine and read a few articles, that way you don’t have to have a “long attention span.”  Maybe even set out to read an entire magazine cover to cover– minus the ads!  It’s good for your brain to make reading part of your daily habit.
5. Get out!  Go to the library, check out some music, a movie, or a new book.  Take a walk in a park or by the lake.  Practice photography and shoot some pictures.  Go downtown and walk the strip.  Take a bus ride.  Break up the routine of being stuck inside and try going someplace new.  Invite a friend to go with you.
6. Last, but not least, say “Yes!”  If someone asks you to go out to dinner or to a meeting, just say, “yes.”  This is helpful especially if and when you don’t feel like it.  Get into the habit of saying “yes,” because it’s good for you and what goes around comes around.  Remember, you’re in the driver’s seat and you’re already saying “yes,” to something, even if you don’t like the results.  Einstein said it best, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over hoping for different results.  Find something new or different to say, Yes!” to and take charge of achieving your optimal state of health.

If getting “unstuck” is difficult or if you’ve been in a stuck pattern for several months or even years, we want you to know that we’re here to help.  You don’t need to go all over town seeing half a dozen “specialists” and filling out new paperwork every time.  The PTI has nearly every kind of mental health service that you need from screening and assessment, therapy, medication management, and a host of different forms of treatment.  Regardless of how “stuck” you are, we’re here to treat you like you’re our #1 because we believe that you deserve the best and that you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.  That’s what you get day in and day out when you choose the professionals at the PTI as your championship team.