Gentle Self-Care for “Winter Blues”

Feb 2

Written by: Victoria Silver, M. Ed., Registered Psychologist

I often find that as we move into February, folks tend to feel weary of the cold weather. For many people, winter marks a shift in mood and energy and while we usually start to notice this at the beginning of winter, it can feel particularly draining by the time you get to February. As the holidays and New Year have passed, we perhaps impatiently await warmer and longer days and the arrival of spring.

This blog will explore why we tend to feel worse in the winter, how having a self-care routine can help, how to build a winter self-care routine that works for you, and when it might be time to seek additional professional support.

Why Do We Feel Worse in the Winter?

The decrease in hours of sunlight during winter can have an impact on serotonin and melatonin production, which can leave us feeling sleepier and more lethargic. We also tend to spend less time outside in the winter, which can further reduce our exposure to sunlight and in turn, decrease Vitamin D production in the body.

The colder weather can also inspire us to socially isolate and “hibernate”. The holiday season can exacerbate relational and other stressors, which can leave us feeling drained. January can also mark the intention and goal-setting of the New Year, which can add to the pressure and stress.

What Is Self-Care and How Can it Help?

Self-care means taking action to maintain your sense of wellness, which can include your physical, emotional, spiritual and relational wellness. While self-care might include taking a luxurious bath or buying yourself a treat, it also includes a focus on your basic needs and activities designed to help you feel better in the long term. I tend to see self-care as the foundation for building positive mental health. It might not completely change how you feel, but it can be a helpful first step towards positive change and consistency. It can also help you establish a sense of agency and develop a more positive relationship with yourself.

Though each person will have a unique set of self-care activities that work well for them, I encourage folks to start by focusing on a few basic areas:

Sleep - maintaining a regular sleep schedule, getting adequate and restful sleep
Nutrition - maintaining a balanced diet
Movement - maintaining a regular exercise/movement routine
Sunlight - spending time outside in the sun (even a few minutes during the colder months can help your mood and energy)
Connection - connecting with other humans, animals, nature, the world around you

Other, Winter-Specific Ideas include:

Romanticize Winter - create a “to-do” list of Winter activities - whether that means trying something new or establishing a winter tradition
Look forward to Spring - create a “to-do” list for Spring and Summer activities you’re looking forward to once the days get longer and warmer
Allow for fluctuations in your energy levels - if Winter means getting more sleep and engaging in quieter, cozier hobbies, that’s completely OK

Building a Gentle Self-Care Plan that Works for You

It’s important to remember that this routine is meant to work with you, not against you. You can think of it as a set of experiments to test out and observe how they impact you. It may look less like a specific routine you follow every day and more like a set of menu options you can choose from based on your level of capacity each day.

I recommend starting small and building your way up. It can feel overwhelming to plan a complicated routine that takes up a lot of your time and energy, and it may leave you feeling like you’ve already “failed” before you’ve had a chance to build the routine. The framing I encourage my clients to consider is: “something is better than nothing.” It’s not about getting it perfect or doing the most; it’s about finding what works for you.

If you find it difficult to feel motivated to engage in self-care activities, you might find it helpful to reach out to loved ones and see if they’d like to do any of the activities with you, or if they’d like to be “accountability buddies” to encourage each other to stay on track. Some people also find it helpful to keep track of self-care activities and how they helped (or didn’t help) by using a journal, calendar, spreadsheet or a daily habit-tracking app.

When to Seek Professional Support

While many people do tend to experience more feelings of sadness as the days get shorter and there is less sunlight, it is important to consider if you may benefit from other forms of support outside of having a solid self-care routine.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) shares several helpful questions to help you differentiate whether your “winter blues” are leaning more towards the seasonal affective disorder (SAD) side of the spectrum:

How much do these concerns interfere with your daily life? (e.g., affecting your sleep, affecting your social, home or work life)
How long have you been experiencing these concerns? (e.g., less than two weeks, longer than two weeks)
Do your self-care activities help you feel better, or are you feeling worse?

If you are finding that you are experiencing these feelings of sadness for a longer amount of time, in greater severity or in a way that is interfering with your daily life, and things are not getting better, it may be helpful to talk to a professional about your concerns, such as your family doctor and/or a licensed therapist.

If you’d like support, I’m happy to connect for a complimentary 20-minute Meet & Greet Consultation. Remember, longer days and more sunshine are just around the corner.

References

Melrose, S. (2015). Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Overview of Assessment and Treatment Approaches. Depression Research and Treatment, 2015, 178564. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/178564

National Institute of Mental Health. (2022). Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): More Than the Winter Blues (NIMH Identification No. OM 22-4320). US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved January 8th, 2026, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-more-than-the-winter-blues