I feel like a celebration is in order. We made it! Bidding farewell to January and welcoming February with open arms felt great. Yes, this month is all about love, but it's also about hope. In the next few weeks, crocuses will bloom here in Seattle and the sun will one again set after 5:30pm (on Valentine’s Day actually) . I’m a self-proclaimed Winter lover. I love an early bedtime, a cozy blanket, a cup of tea, and a day on the ski slopes as much as just about anything, but it feels like the Spring brings new opportunity for wellness. While we may start to see the light at the end of this seasonal tunnel, I am also always trying not to rush through life too quickly. So, I’m here to embrace the last few weeks of Winter – the Groundhog said that's all we have left – and work on caring for myself right now in this season. Here are a few ways to support your health in February and the weeks that still feel like Winter after February, too.
Lean into Sleep
If you’re like me, you’re having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. I’m going to bed early and I’m sleeping long hours at night, and most days I still feel like I want more. I’ve heard from friends that they can’t keep their eyes open in the evenings and that naps have been calling their names during the day. Of course, if you feel that you are much more tired than usual during waking hours, I recommend talking to your doctor. You may be suffering from a vitamin deficiency – many people are low in Vitamin D especially where I live in the Pacific Northwest. Getting your blood tested and identifying if there is a medical problem is important and can help you feel well. For many of us though, it’s not that we are deficient, it’s just that it's Winter and we were probably meant to sleep more during these long dark days.
Following the clock is such a natural part of our lives. We show up to places on time. We go to bed at a set hour. We have alarms that wake us up so we can do it all over again. Yet, the concept of time hasn’t been around for humans all that long. People really began showing up for things at a certain time during the industrial revolution. Before that, farmers woke with the roosters and most people used the sun to identify when they needed to do something or be somewhere. What would that look like today? Well, in the dead of Winter it would certainly not mean getting in your car when it's still pitch dark out to go to work. Today, most of us don’t have the luxury of living off the clock and on the sun’s time. We have places we need to be and things that start at 7am whether it's January or June. So, alarm clocks and predawn wake-ups are part of our lives, but we can be a little more gentle on ourselves. It’s okay to be tired when it’s dark at 6pm and it’s okay to go to bed early and maybe even find a day during the week that you’re able to wake up naturally based on the sunrise and not your alarm clock. You’re going to need more sleep this time of year. Instead of resisting it or, worse, beating yourself up for it, use the clock and your schedule to carve out more time for it. Set an alarm to get yourself to bed. Read a book at night instead of looking at a screen and see if you nod off earlier. Take a nap or sleep in when and if you’re able. Embrace sleep. In fact, if you typically get up to exercise, but this time of year you feel more inclined to sleep, you might want to listen to your body. Sleep helps regulate the immune system, manage weight, boost your mood, and think clearer, so it has more in common with exercise than you might think. These two practices are partners. You need sleep to be able to exercise, so don't sacrifice it for an early morning workout if you're exhausted during the day. There will be a day in the not so distant future where the sun rises earlier and sticks around later at night. Your energy levels will follow suit. For now, don’t be afraid to sleep.
Try Something New
Here I am telling you to rest more and now I’m going to take a little different approach. While one of my favorite things about Winter is the time spent at home resting, it can be a difficult time of year to challenge yourself mentally. When we rarely stray from our daily routines, we may be negatively impacting the health of our brains. Learning new things helps grow your brain and studies show that it can slow the process of cognitive decline and decrease the risk of dementia. Think back to the time of reemergence after the pandemic. Do you remember those first few months of having to interact with more people? I do. Typically, I love talking to people and social settings energize me, but after covid, my brain was out of practice. I consistently left gatherings feeling awkward and socially inept. It was because I had to relearn this skill. I was out of practice when it came to social interactions, traveling, and so much more.
Winter can bring this on, too. Not to the same degree as a multi-year pandemic, but over a few months our brain power can start to decline and we may even feel less sharp or forget things more often. While social settings are a great place to try new things, there are lots of other options too. Maybe cook a new type of cuisine or try a restaurant in an unknown neighborhood. Taking a new type of fitness class can be scary and unknown. Signing up and showing up is not just good for your body, but for your brain, too. Make plans with a new friend – or an old friend who you haven’t seen in a while – and see if you can strike up a conversation where you learn something new or expand your own viewpoint. Just like you need to use your physical muscles in order to keep them healthy, you need to use your brain, too. A puzzle, an unlikely conversation, a day exploring somewhere you’ve never been – these are great ways to keep your brain healthy no matter the time of year.
Hydrate
If you tried your hand at dry January or maybe damp January, which is just a funny way of saying that you tried to drink a little less, you likely had one outcome that made you feel better whether you noticed it or not. You were probably more hydrated. Alcohol is dehydrating. This is no secret. You know what else is dehydrating? Winter. The extra time spent indoors with forced air and the heater on is dehydrating. The extra work our body does to regulate our overall temperature is dehydrating. The fact that we generally drink less water when we are cold is dehydrating. Fortunately, there are easy solutions to this. Drink water. Eat water-rich foods, like fruits and vegetables. And yes, drink less alcohol. Doing any one of these three things will help. Doing all three will be a game changer. Staying hydrated can help your body ache less. It can help you NOT develop a sinus infection when you’re fighting a common cold. It may even help your cold end sooner. It can help you reach for more nutritious foods and fight off cravings. And, it can help your overall sleep, brain cognition, and mood – which rounds out this entire list pretty nicely.
So, whether that Groundhog is right or wrong, hang in there! Spring will eventually be here and for now, stay cozy, rest up, keep learning, and drink some water.
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