Lucky for us here in Sublette County, there are many free and natural remedies for the winter blues. Here are a few:
Get Outside: Bundle up and make a routine of walking and exercising in the early morning or over your lunch hour. Take off your sunglasses and get sunlight on your eyelids. In a perfect world we would get 20 minutes of sunlight on our closed eyelids and our skin every day, this is the natural way to metabolize vitamin D. (Important: Sunglasses are essential the rest of the day to protect our eyes from our high altitude sunlight). Walk to the post office, to Burney's or Ridley's. Walk your errands. Walk your children home from school. Walk your dog. Cross country ski or walk the Sublette XC Ski trails, the most fabulous (and free!) ski trails in the state.If you can get out in the early morning, go for it. Sit or walk in the sun at lunch when possible. Your mood, appetite, and energy will thank you all day long. Keep exercising indoors when the weather is awful: Try exercise classes at the PAC, the Big Piney Rec Center or local gyms. Winter is an excellent time to try something new: yoga, tai chi, Pilates, cross-training, cross-fit, zumba, dance, pickle-ball, walking, running, biking and swimming. Regular exercise has been proven to increase “feel good” chemicals in the brain and body. Research suggests that you do not need to do high impact or intense exercise, just be frequent and consistent. The extra oxygen to our blood makes our brains and bodies happy. Eat well, especially in the beginning of your day. What does that mean? Big hot breakfasts and lunches with 3 oz of protein, vegetables, legumes and whole grain carbs. That can look like a breakfast burrito, breakfast sandwich, oatmeal with peanut butter, walnuts and fruit. Getting good nutrition in the beginning of the day decreases the mood swings and sugar crashes that come from high sugar breakfasts. Breakfast has been positively linked to higher rates of happiness and good grades. Check out foodnetwork.ca/seasonal-affective-disorder for more information. Eat meals and spend time with family and friends. Turn off the screens and electronics after 7 pm to have better quality sleep. #SublettePreventionCoalition #WinterBlues #SeasonalAffectiveDisorder #GetOutside #vitaminD #SAD #HealthyBreakfast #FamilyFriends