How to Beat the Winter Blues in Palm Beach Gardens Senior Living

Learning how to beat the winter blues involves adjusting your diet, exercising, and getting sunlight exposure. These senior self-care strategies support better holistic wellness in aging adults.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 10 to 20% of Americans get a mild form of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) called the winter blues. The winter blues can bring you down, while SAD can affect your ability to focus and function.

Instead of letting your mental wellness decline, learn how to beat the winter blues. Applying these seasonal mood tips can improve your mental and physical well-being. Embrace the winter weather while living in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, with these senior self-care strategies!

What Are the Winter Blues?

According to the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Healthy Minds Monthly poll, about 38% of American adults notice a low mood during the winter. Of the 2,211 adults polled, two-thirds said they experience behavioral changes during the winter. Another one in five reported moodiness and lost interest in activities.

These symptoms are indicative of SAD. The winter blues are a mild form of SAD, which is a type of depression.

The APA classifies SAD as a major depressive disorder with seasonal patterns. Without treatment, you may experience complications. SAD can affect your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, diminishing your quality of life. 

What Are the Symptoms of SAD?

Common symptoms of SAD include:

• Extreme fatigue or lack of energy
• Social isolation
• Craving carbs or sugar
• Overeating and weight gain
• Feeling hopeless or worthless
• Anxiety
• Sadness (feeling depressed most of the day) almost daily
• Sleep problems (usually oversleeping)
• Loss of interest in once pleasurable activities
• Arms and legs feeling heavy
• Difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions

Consult a mental health professional if you experience these symptoms. Avoid self-diagnosing. These symptoms could indicate a more complex mental health condition.

How to Beat the Winter Blues

Don't let the winter weather and lack of sunlight bring you down. Instead, apply these seasonal mood tips and embrace senior self-care!

Embrace Nature

Apply the Nordic concept of "friluftsliv" while developing your wellness routine. Translating to "free air life," this concept involves embracing the outdoors regardless of the weather.You can:

• Take a morning walk or hike
• Bundle up in your favorite fall outfits
• Bring a warm beverage
• Maintain winter plants

Otherwise, try to get sun exposure within the first hour of waking. Getting exposure to sunlight can help you maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. Sunlight exposure encourages vitamin D and serotonin production, which influence mood.

Adjust Your Diet

Explore your senior living community's dining program for healthy, nutritious dishes. Eating a plant-based diet (such as the MIND diet) offers neuroprotective benefits. The antioxidants in fruits and vegetables may reduce inflammation, which may improve your mood. 

Socialize

Your senior living community's events and activities calendar can help you meet other seniors in Palm Beach Gardens. Maintaining relationships can boost your mood and give you a sense of belonging.

Having hobbies can add excitement and pleasure to your routine. Consider:

• Drawing or painting
• Baking or cooking
• Dancing
• Learning an instrument
• Gardening
• Bingo
• Trivia
• Book club
• Movie nights

Exercise

Exercising can boost the production of serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters may uplift your mood.You can find fun exercise classes through your senior living community's on-site fitness program, including:

• Chair yoga
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Stretching
• Tai chi
• Meditation
• Weight training
• Resistance training
• Walking or hiking

Memory Care Support Palm Beach Gardens

Look into senior living communities that support positive emotional health for seniors. Their exclusive senior living programs may improve your overall health and quality of life. They'll promote better holistic wellness in aging seniors.

Try to develop a wellness routine. Following a routine will give your life structure, which may help reduce stress.

Otherwise, follow the Nordic "hygge" concept of making life as cozy and comfortable as possible. Applying this concept can help you adapt to winter weather, which may improve your mood. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Is At Risk of SAD?

Risk factors for SAD include:

• Living in a cloudy region or area that receives less sunlight during the winter
• Living far north or south of the equator
• Having relatives with other forms of depression or mental health conditions
• Having another mood disorder (such as bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder)
• Age (it's more common in people aged 18 to 30)
• Gender (it more commonly affects women)

Though researchers don't know the exact cause of SAD, it's possible that a lack of sunlight can trigger symptoms. Getting less sunlight may cause:

• Low vitamin D levels
• Low serotonin production
• Changes to your circadian rhythm (your biological clock)
• Increased melatonin production

Sunlight exposure helps our bodies naturally produce vitamin D. Vitamin D boosts serotonin production. This neurotransmitter helps regulate mood.

Less sunlight exposure may cause melatonin levels to increase. Melatonin can make you drowsy and affect your sleep patterns. Failing to get enough sleep may cause mood changes.

How Is SAD Treated?

A mental health professional may recommend a combination of the following treatments for SAD:

• Psychotherapy (talk therapy)
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Antidepressant medication
• Bright light therapy
• Vitamin D supplements

CBT can help you identify, track, and manage your SAD symptoms. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, CBT is effective in reducing the recurrence and remission of SAD.

Treatment may help you identify negative thoughts to replace with positive thoughts. You can also use behavioral action (engaging in pleasant activities) to cope with winter. 

Consult a mental health professional if you experience symptoms of the winter blues or SAD. They'll help you take preventive action before the beginning of fall.

Prioritize Emotional Health for Seniors

Don't let the winter weather compromise your emotional health. Instead, learn how to beat the winter blues using these effective senior self-care tips.

Remember, you can find other wellness strategies through your senior living community.

At Discovery Village Palm Beach Gardens, residents can enjoy the annual PGA event and Championship Florida golf, open-air urban marketplaces, and day spas.

We offer Senior Assisted Living and SHINE® Memory Care, a science-based approach.

Enjoy our exclusive lifestyle programs, including southern comfort foods by Director of Culinary Services Chris Blum, Celebrations Activities & Events like senior-specific technology classes, or water aerobics through Dimensions Health & Fitness. Contact us now to schedule your tour.