As the weather becomes colder, many people find that their moods decrease – a common experience among individuals during the winter. During the colder months, we are generally less likely to spend time outdoors, receiving less exposure to sunlight and producing less Vitamin D, which has been associated with an increased risk of mood and other mental health difficulties. Plus, the earlier it gets dark, the more we tend to feel fatigued. When the weather is colder, we are also less likely to be physically active and less social (both of which are crucial to our emotional well being). 

If you are one of the individuals who suffers from a decreased mood during the winter, it may feel challenging to stay motivated and energized. On the bright side, there are ways to help maintain an increased mood throughout the colder months. 

Use a Light Box

A light therapy box, which mimics outdoor light, can cause a chemical change in the brain that helps to lift your mood. The effects of a light box are similar to the effects of actual sunlight on your mental health, so using a light box during the winter can help to make up for a decreased exposure to sunlight. Generally, you should look for light boxes that provide an exposure to 10,000 lux of light and produce as little UV light as possible.

Exercise at Home

Creating an at-home workout that raises your heart rate for at least 10 minutes every day can help to increase your mood. This workout does not have to be challenging; playing a couple rounds of Just Dance, walking up and down a set of stairs, or using an exercise machine while watching your favorite show are all ways to get your workout in.   

Schedule Regular Social Activities 

Social interaction is extremely important for maintaining your mental health. Since you are probably less likely to make plans with your friends during the winter, planning specific social activities in advance can help combat your desire to remain in the warmth of your home. 

Incorporate Plants into Your Decor

Proximity to plants has been found across many studies to help us relax, reduce stress, promote healing, improve our moods, and boost our immune systems. Bringing a couple plants into your home can definitely have healing effects on your mental health.

Positive affirmations and manifesting have dominated TikTok feeds in recent months as teenagers began to discover the power of positive thinking. We are told that faking confidence will lead to true self-assurance. That simply telling ourselves we are worthy of love will make us believe it. And that manifesting our ideal life will land us our dream job. 

What most of us do not realize is that self-affirmations and wishful thinking can actually be counter-productive. 

Positive affirmations alone can make people feel worse about themselves and their abilities. Studies have found that couples who claimed optimism about their future were more likely to experience marital strife. Similarly, university graduates who envisioned their success as they entered their fields actually earned less, received fewer job offers, and sent fewer job applications out in the first place. 

Why is this?

Our brains are so good at imagining scenarios that we have trouble distinguishing between something that happened and something that we imagined. This is because imagining a situation in vivid detail lights up the same neural pathways that the same situation would trigger in real life, meaning that manifesting and wishful thinking can actually provide us with the same sense of reward we get when we accomplish something in real life. 

If we feel as if we’ve already achieved our goals, we can lose the motivation necessary to pursue our dreams. Plus, if our egos inflate as the result of our wishful thinking, the obstacles we face on our way to accomplishing our ambitions will be that much more disheartening, leading to self-doubt and negative self-talk.

What can we do about it?

Instead of practicing manifestation or positive affirmations, I have started to turn to learned optimism: the conscious practice of viewing the world from a positive perspective. From this definition, learned optimism may seem like an obvious, cliche solution, but this alternative is much deeper than a “glass half-full” perspective; it is about acknowledging our struggles and reframing them in a way that empowers us to reclaim our agency. 

With learned optimism, we can understand our misfortunes and the negative emotions associated with them as temporary setbacks and opportunities for growth. While adopting this perspective on life may require more effort than positive affirmations, it will be much more beneficial long-term.

Most people associate Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, with individuals who are hyper, loud, and very talkative. So, people are usually surprised to learn that I (a calm, introverted teenager) am diagnosed with the disorder, and they are even more surprised when I explain to them that a ton of individuals with ADHD possess no hyperactive traits at all. 

While men with ADHD tend to present as hyper and impulsive, women often show symptoms of forgetfulness and distractibility rather than hyperactivity. The misconception that all individuals with ADHD are disruptive and loud, as well as the fact that the general public lacks knowledge of the countless other symptoms of ADHD, contributes to the underdiagnosis, misunderstanding, and isolation of those with the disorder. 

To help combat these consequences of the lack of public understanding of ADHD, I decided to dedicate my first blog post to highlighting some of the lesser-known traits of people with this disorder. 

Sensory Issues 

Sensory issues and sensory processing disorders, which typically cause hyper-sensitivity to sensory information, are prevalent in people with ADHD. The effects of sensory issues can range from picky eating habits (like avoiding foods with certain textures or smells) to the dislike of specific fabrics or clothing items to sensitivity to loud noises.

Time Blindness

Time blindness, which is the inability to sense the passing of time, presents itself in various ways in people with ADHD. Constantly losing track of time, having difficulty estimating how long ago an event happened, and chronically missing deadlines or arriving late (even for events one is excited about) are all effects of time blindness.

Memory

Those with ADHD often have problems with their memory that affect their daily lives.​​ For example, they may frequently lose or misplace important items, like their wallet or keys, or forget to turn in upcoming assignments or projects. They may miss important events or forget what they were planning to do that day. 

Emotional Dysregulation

Those with ADHD might have a harder time regulating their emotions. As a result, they may experience and display emotions more intensely and report increased psychological distress from their emotional experiences. 

ADHD can affect every aspect of a person’s life, and the lists of the traits of people with this disorder include much more than the symptoms in this blog post. However, I hope this post helped to expand your knowledge and understanding of those with ADHD.