Send Seasonal Affective Disorder Packing

How to avoid the winter blahs with knitting a few other favorites

When the days grow shorter and the weather colder, do you get hit with the winter blahs? Whether you have anxiety or get hit with seasonal affective disorder, knitting can be extremely helpful. These crafts can melt away those feelings and leaving you happier, and with a sense of accomplishment.  But, it’s no magic bullet. For some, knitting on it’s own might not be enough.  By pairing the perfect crafting hobby with some other mindful practices, you can send seasonal affective disorder packing.

Even those who know me, might not know that anxiety for me can become crippling. Just the thought of traveling alone can send me into a bout.  Knitting helps with this.  In fact, during a previous job, when I was extremely unhappy, stressed and anxious, I would come straight home, pick up my needles and knit until bedtime.  It drove my mom crazy, but she didn’t understand that I was using, no clinging, to knitting as a coping mechanism. 

Take a Short Walk with Me:

Eventually it came to a head and we had a bit of an argument. Through conversation we cleared the air, and she helped me to see that I needed another outlet.  My mom suggested that I pick yoga back up. After all, it had helped tremendously during another, very similar time in my life.  So I did. After a few tear filled sessions on my mat, I was beginning to feel more like myself again. It wasn’t a miracle pill that made my job better, but it helped lift the tremendous weight of anxiety. I could proactively begin to find another option, another job.

So when I start to catch those feelings creeping back in, I know exactly what to do to clear away the blahs.  Now, what I’m sharing is what helps me through anxiety and stress.  I ski and hike during the winter and generally just love it. If I didn’t have these outlets I would be absolutely crushed during the darker, colder months.

Send it!

This post was originally written in 2018. I had just fallen in love with my now husband and was planning a wedding. Fast forward and I’ve had two kids and lost my soul dog. Life is only crazier and these tips still help me send seasonal affective disorder packing.

Knitting Or Similar Craft

Whether you love to knit like me, or prefer to paint, draw or even read a book, doing something that exercises your brain and provides a sense of accomplishment. Pair this with a release of creative energy and it does wonders for your emotional state.  If you’re in a funk, try to find a small project to tackle that won’t take too much time.  This will give you a little boost, and make taking that next step even easier.

Here’s a great beginner pattern to get you started! And you can find the yarn for it here.

Yoga and Meditation

If you’re opposed to yoga, I’d argue that you haven’t tried it or found the right instructor yet. You might think it’s new age-y or that it’s a too gentle, but it’s truly not the case.  Yoga and meditation are physical and mentally demanding and go a very long way to helping you get back into balance.  When you’re depressed, anxious or stress you, your mind and your body are out of balance.  Yoga gets you back to that healthy state.  It builds strength, often in muscle groups you tend to under utilize. It builds flexibility which is essential to health. And it helps to tone or restore other systems in your body and create balance in your brain, your emotions, etc. 

There are so many studios, online videos, and fun classes at places like your local museums! These make grabbing a buddy and getting into this beneficial life practice super easy – and fun

If you still aren’t convinced, try another form of physical activity.  The boost of endorphins alone will go a long way toward helping you feel better. Yoga isn’t the only form of moving meditation. Running or walking can be just as healthy! I like recommending these because they are relatively low cost alternatives where yoga classes can become a bit costly. Recently we purchased a used Peleton and I’m loving feeding my cycling habit year round!

Writing or Journaling

Writing combines with some of these other tips really well. Knitting helps to quiet my mind and that enables me to tune inward and listen a bit better. Then I can journal or order my thoughts on paper and process them. Creative writing is also a great tool to transport you from the dreary doledrums of winter to a more exotic place, or time.

Get Outside

Yup! Even if you hate winter, I want you to get out into it.  The main reason we tend to dislike this season is that we let it prevent us from doing things outdoors.  Did you catch that? We let winter hold us hostage. Does it really prevent you from walking? Hiking? Nope, not one bit. Grab a pair of boots, put on some layers and a winter jacket, a hat and gloves (whether you’ve knit them or not) and get outside. 

If you’ve been following my posts, you’ll know that we live next to a beautiful park that has wonderful hiking trails, places to test out cross country skis, or walk around the plowed sidewalks down by the lake.  Once you get out and see how beautiful winter can be, and how you can still get some exercise in out of doors, it’s no longer a terrible season.

Do you have a dog? Chances are, he or she could use more than a quick trip to the potty this winter.  You’re not doing them any favors by staying indoors. Bundle them up if necessary, and get them playing in the snow too! Dog parks are great ways to socialize and get outside with other humans and pups.  Hikes are a great way to have fun with your fur-baby too! Just watch the road salt. It can hurt on walks but also create chemical burns if it is left between their paws.

Light

If you work a nine to five in the winter, I get it, the lack of sunlight can really get you down.  And it definitely makes the last step a bit harder. But you can still get it in on the weekends. If you work and are affected by the shorter days, try taking a break from work during the day.  Even if it’s just standing by a window and getting some sun for five minutes, or taking a lunch break to soak in some rays or get out of the office, it will do you some good. Light some candles. They won’t replace the sun, but the scents and sounds that come with flame can be so relaxing.  Use a candle with a hot bath to soak the stress away.  I’ve never personally tried the lamps with different colored lights but have heard from others that they work as well.

Unless you have seasonal affective disorder or anxiety so badly that it’s physically crippling, these steps can help you learn to hate winter less. Try some of them and you might end up liking or even loving the season by the end of February.  Trying some of these things are outside of your comfort zone, but suffering isn’t exactly comfortable either.