Beating the Winter Blues

Winter time is here in the Northern Hemisphere and this time of year,  presents the human body with a set of challenges unique to the season.

Each seasonal change presents the body with various issues, for example in the summer months the body has to deal with the effects of excess sun, pollen allergies, insect bites and stomach upsets caused by increased bacteria in food due to the warmer weather.

In winter we deal with increased fatigue due to less exposure to sunshine, weight gain from winter eating and alcohol habits, slower metabolism and less outdoor activities.  And of course winter colds and flu are rife, with viruses running amok in the workplace and social venues.  The indoor environments are void of natural air with closed windows and heating systems that circulate the germs.

As a person interested in NLP and personal development you are likely to be more tuned into your mind and body and have strategies to ensure you can enjoy the delights of the season without external factors such as the weather or viruses having an effect on your physical or mental health.

To allow external factors that you have no direct control over, to impact your state subscribes to the notion of cause effect inherent in the mechanical world ruled by the laws of Newtonian physics.  Human beings are not mechanical devices and therefore the predictability from the classical physics world is not present in the biology of human body.

This means we have more choice with our resistance to external influences and thus more choice with our energy levels and health.

We all have nervous systems unique to our DNA, with an immune system there to combat antibodies and a lymphatic system continually flushing our body of the toxins we voluntary consume.

Your body has natural systems to continually take care of you, in NLP and hypnosis your natural healing system is within the unconscious mind, and there are NLP and hypnotic processes to engage with unconscious processes connected with your immune and lymphatic system to ensure you stay healthy or if you do succumb to a winter virus you have a quick and easy way to heal.

In hunter-gather times, traditional cultures used the winter time as a period of rest and renewal. These cultures did not have the luxury of electric light and heating systems for everyday comfort, and also their work was geared towards the sowing and harvesting of crops so from spring to later summer there was a lot of manual work to be done, so winter was time to hibernate to a certain extent.

In modern times, we do not have the same physical pressures associated with the seasons as our ancestors had, yet still we can use the winter period to recharge our minds and optimise our health.

1. Be positive, and embrace the season.  Some people tend to complain about dark evenings and bad weather.  Moaning about such things, does not change a thing except your mood.  Be happy, there are people out there who have real issues to worry about, far more significant than the weather or lack of daylight.

2. Stay active as your body responds positively to exercise, the endorphins released by physical activities will help you stay positive.

3. Get outdoors frequently.  Take walks or exercise outside, whilst the winter sun is not strong enough for our skin to naturally generate vitamin B, the fresh is much better than the indoors environment with the germs that circulate.

4. Avoid the consumption of stodgy and unhealthy food.  Your body naturally craves these foods in winter to store fat, based on our more primitive ancestors whose food supply was not plentiful.

5. Boost your vitamin D intake.  This will compensate for the reduction in vitamin D due to less daylight hours and weaker sun rays.  Vitamin D can be found in a small number of foods, including oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines, as well as red meat, mushrooms and eggs

6. Know your body.  Set up a bio feedback communication system with your unconscious mind, by doing so, you can establish rapid healing frames, should you catch a cold, flu or any other vital infection.  You can speed up the natural healing process significantly.

7. Rest well.  Winter is an excellent time to set up a routine.  Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.  Your body will love it.

8. Nourish your mind.  Use the winter evenings productively and you learn something new.  For example, how about learning the language of the country where you are planning your summer holiday.  This will give you a sense of achievement and you are likely to have a more interesting summer holiday.

9. Tick something off your bucket list.  There is nothing like something special to you, to boost your overall sense of well being.

10. Enjoy down time as well.  Take time out to meditate on your health and well being.  Short periods of closing out the external world and connecting with your inner self has huge benefits on your well being. Whilst many people in the winter months lounge on the couch, filling their mind with Netflix and their stomachs with food that increases tiredness, the brain stagnates and the body is on overload, no wonder people experience winter blues.  You have many choices to enable you to enjoy a happy winter.

By embracing the suggestions above you will find yourself enjoying a healthy life style which for sure will increase your energy levels combing the right amount of activities with rest and rejuvenation.
Enjoy making every day of winter brilliant, and every day of your life fabulous as well!