Feeling some winter blues?
Its not all in your head, it’s not a myth and it’s certainly not uncommon - in fact it’s something millions of people experience. Winter generally results in decreased exposure to light (think shorter days and less time in the sun). Exposure to bright light triggers signals in our body to stop producing Melatonin (our sleep hormone). The lack of light in winter means we don’t receive this stop signal and therefore have an increase in Melatonin. Higher levels of Melatonin can make us lethargic, disengaged, demotivated and down right depressed!
Most of us are guilty of not making a conscious effort to soak up some sunlight in the colder months. We could all do with some conscious phototherapy. You could expose yourself to bright light within the first hour of waking each day. Or purposefully sit in the sun to soak up some rays, whether it be for lunch, a morning coffee, a mindful moment or whenever the opportunity presents. This small habit can start easing your blues away within as little as a few days! As individuals we need to be conscious of the small habits that we can build to make a big difference in our lives! Side note: As employers we need to be conscious of the environments we design for our employees and the behaviours we encourage such as a coffee break outside or a canteen with an outdoor space. Try maximize the amount of light entering the organisations building, think large windows or sky lights.
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