How To Beat The Winter Blues At Work: Causes, Symptoms & 7 Ways To Beat It

Winter is coming, and with that, the question arises - How to beat the winter blues at work! Some romanticize the season, while some barely pull through it. As winter kicks in, the gloomy mornings make it hard to begin the day with enthusiasm.

The cold weather brings a melancholy feeling that takes the mood into an emotional dip. This, in turn, diminishes one's interest in daily activities.
This is what winter blues is all about. Now, winter blues is a term with a casual tone. But, if not managed, it may hamper your day-to-day mood and energy level at work and in general.

According to a study, 14 percent of the United States population experience winter blues.

Do the unpleasant, cold days, followed by the chilly nights, make your employees feel unproductive? Or do you find yourself struggling to maintain energy levels during winter, especially in a cold office? You are not alone.
You may have the winter blues or maybe something a bit serious. Read on to find out about how to beat winter blues at work and more.

What are the causes of Winter Blues?

The general notion about winter blues is the change in the weather's temperature and reduced daylight hours make a person feel low. This is what they call "Winter Blues."

The science behind this is -

Low exposure to sunlight minimizes the release of the hormone serotonin. This hormone is responsible for the feeling of happiness.

Winter blues is a temporary shift in mood due to the transition from warmer to colder seasons. It is not a medical diagnosis per se. Someone experiencing winter blues may find initiating and finishing certain tasks challenging.

However, do not confuse this with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder are slightly different from winter blues.

Here is a list of common symptoms that people with winter blues experience.

• You are feeling low or sad without any direct reason.
• You are unable to find the motivation to achieve targets at work.
• You find it hard to fall asleep.
• Getting out of bed is a huge task for you.
• You feel anxious or lethargic unusually.

If you are wondering about the Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms and how it differs from winter blues, here is a snippet.

How does SAD differ from Winter Blues?

Unlike winter blues, SAD is a clinical disorder recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Someone with SAD may feel depressed most of the day, feel hopeless, and lack the spirit to complete daily tasks.

This condition arises during autumn, peaks, and lasts throughout winter, eventually improving as the cold ends. It is a form of depression wherein the affected person experiences mood changes as the season changes.

Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder involve:

• Change in appetite
• Feel hopeless without any cause
• Change in sleep pattern

In the case of winter blues, the symptoms are similar but milder.

Winter blues are something that can be self-treated. However, treating SAD requires consultation with a mental health professional along with lifestyle changes.

What can employees do to deal with winter blues?

Bidding goodbye to winter blues is simple. Tweaking your current lifestyle is the key to shaking off the winter blues.

1. Switch to a healthier diet

Start consuming a balanced diet. Include seasonal fruits and vegetables in your daily meals. According to a study, consuming fruits and vegetables uplifts your well-being and happiness. To garner maximum benefit, keep your office lunches as healthy as possible.

Due to less mobility, many employees experience weight gain during winter. Try to reduce your carb intake, which is one of the biggest causes of weight gain. Consume food items like nuts, beans, peas, lentils, white meat, and tofu as much as possible.

2. Incorporate exercise into your daily routine

Research shows that staying physically active directly impacts one's mood. How? Performing any exercise leads to the release of happy hormones known as endorphins. As the name suggests, these hormones instill feelings of happiness and contentment.

If you are not very active, you can start with brisk walks for 15 minutes only. With time, you can increase the duration to 30 minutes or more.

If not walking, you can take up any physical activity, such as stretching or yoga. The primary goal is spending time doing something that helps elevate your mood.

You can install a fitness tracker on your smartphone to get external motivation. With this, you can keep track of calories burnt, BMI, and activity rate. This, in turn, may prompt you to remain physically active in the upcoming days.

3. Power up with Vitamin D additives

The absorption of Vitamin D decreases during winter due to the low sunlight. Vitamin D plays a significant role in regulating your mood. To reap its benefits, consume Vitamin D-rich food such as Tuna, Salmon, Egg yolk, and oranges.

You can also start taking vitamin D supplements as an added benefit. The dosage for an average adult is 10 - 20 micrograms. However, it is advisable that you consult with a health professional first regarding this.

4. Bask under the winter sun during the weekend

The winter sun comparatively softens. Yet, basking under the sun is the best way to receive Vitamin D naturally. The optimum duration of sunbathing is 5 to 10 minutes.

Exposure to the sun longer than this may lead to sunburn, even during winter. So, the application of sunscreen lotion of at least SPF 30 is advisable.

Vitamin D is also responsible for regulating the sleep cycle. With a disrupted sleep cycle, one tends to wake up cranky and low in energy the following day. Try sunbathing this winter, retain your circadian rhythm, and save yourself from the winter blues.

5. Consider light therapy if required

For the days when the weather deteriorates and there is minimal sunlight, you can opt for light therapyright at your work desk.

Light therapy involves the use of sunlight-mimicking lamps. Also known as a therapy lamp, it is perfectly safe for the eyes. It is a perfect addition to beat the winter blues at work when the space becomes dim-lit. Further, therapy lamps are known to lower eye strain and are soothing to the eyes.

6. Make your workstation positive

Your surroundings influence your mood to a great extent. And since you spend ample time working, keep a neat desk with minimal decor. Here are some desk items you can keep to beat the winter blues at work:

• Scented candles
• Therapy light
• Seasonal fresh flowers in a vase
• A desk organizer to keep clutter away

7. Take tea/coffee breaks at work

Spending time with your peers at work over tea/coffee breaks may help you relax mentally and physically. Moreover, consuming tea and coffee at work is known to have mood-altering effects. But beware, overindulging in these drinks can make you feel irritated and agitated due to the caffeine content.

8. Catch up with friends

Having heart-to-heart conversations with close friends is the best way to improve your mood. After work, plan to catch up with your friends and have delicious meals. After all, good food contributes to a good mood.

9. Train your internal clock

Maintain a wake and sleep cycle to trick your body into adapting to the sleep schedule. As you regularize the sleep cycle, your body releases serotonin, which promotes a good mood.

In addition to this, wearable fitness trackers nowadays record your sleep data. Wear one to get a gist of your sleep quality every night.

Seven ways to support your employees in beating winter blues at work

If you find an employee sharing about feeling low due to the gloomy weather and feeling blue, here are some ways to support them.

1. Give Them Opportunities to Soak Up the Sun and More

Keep the work timing flexible during the winter. This allows them to soak under the sun (which only appears sometimes in the cold season) during work hours.

Additionally, employees battling winter blues can get time to take light therapy while pausing work for some time.

2. Make adjustments in the workspace

Change the location of the office cabinets and workstations so that outdoor light easily enters the indoor area. Additionally, keeping the curtains open will allow more sunlight to enter the workspace.

This is a cost-effective and more sustainable way to maximize natural lighting.

3. Set up a SAD lamp

As a form of support, you can provide seasonal affective disorder (SAD) lamps. These can easily fit in a workstation beside the desktop or laptop screen. Encourage employees to make use of these whenever they need to.

4. Organize Social events

Social events at work give a fulfilling purpose to employees. For instance, organize an annual official event wherein employees plan and work together other than the usual official responsibilities.

Also, embrace the holiday season at work with full enthusiasm for your employees to engage in.

5. Invest in healthy foods

It's well-known that what you eat regularly impacts your mood. Since serotonin levels dive down due to winter blues, consuming mood foods will help in this case. These foods are known to carry mood-boosting properties. In short, eating mood foods helps elevate one's mood.

Provide the below-mentioned list of food that can help your employees bid the winter blues efficiently at work:

• Fish oil capsules
• Dark chocolates
• Bananas
• Fresh berries and nuts
• Freshly brewed coffee
• Lean meat food items at the cafeteria

Tip: You can also keep winter snacks in the office pantry.

6. Encourage time outdoors

When it comes to spending time outdoors and embracing nature, Norway will take the spotlight any day. Norwegians are known for their outdoorsy, nature-embracing lifestyle. It is one of the many reasons why they win the title of Happiest Country in the World every now and then.

Here's a snippet of how companies in Norway set policies so that their employees can practice friluftsliv.

Shorter work timing from 8 am to 4 pm, especially on Fridays, after which employees set out for adventure in the wilderness.

Nature retreats every now and then to reconnect with the greeneries.

7. Educate yourself and your staff

A person struggling with winter blues has to go through an emotional roller coaster. Amidst all that, they seldom have the emotional or mental bandwidth to explain what they are going through to others.

So, a thoughtful gesture that employers must extend is to learn everything about winter blues and how to beat winter bluesthem at work. The entire organization should be thoroughly briefed about this "work struggle" during the winter months and how everyone can manage stress.

Bottom Line

The change in seasons is nothing new, yet we somehow feel blue. As if Monday blues aren't enough to make us feel sluggish, winter brings in additional blues. The positive note here is you can get rid of winter blues simply by making specific lifestyle changes.

Embrace the tips mentioned above and keep the winter blues out of sight. And let the wheels of productivity churn at work.

Contact a mental health expert if you feel you may have signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Treatment for SAD involves procedures as recommended by the professional.