Winter Wellness – Part One
Winter blues got you down? Do you feel like you have less energy to start tasks—or even finish them? You are not alone. Winter blues definitely get me down quite often. During this season, I notice myself feeling less active, having lower energy, and slipping into a mental funk. I’m someone who’s learned that setting goals—big or small—and completing them in a timely way is important for my well-being. So when my energy dips and I struggle to even begin those goals, it can feel especially heavy.
What I’ve come to realize is that this struggle isn’t just personal—it’s seasonal. In nature, winter is a time of rest, slowing down, and conserving energy. Yet as a society, we don’t always honor that rhythm. I often catch myself pushing through the winter months without allowing enough rest, and when I do that, my body eventually forces me to slow down. That’s usually when I get sick—my sinuses act up, they start draining, and my left ear begins to plug.
As humans, we do our best to keep our moods lifted, but living in a place where the days are shorter during winter can significantly affect how we feel. When our mental health isn’t functioning at its best, our bodies tend to take a hit as well. Emotions like stress, anger, and sadness can weaken the immune system by increasing inflammation in the body, which alters how our immune response functions.
So if you find yourself getting sick often with colds or the flu during this time of year, you’re not imagining it—and you’re definitely not alone. Supporting the immune system isn’t about one quick fix, it’s about layering care in a way that feels nourishing and sustainable. For me, that has meant combining rest, emotional awareness, bodywork, and intentional supplementation. Let’s start with this journey by talking about different types of bodywork and workouts to combat the blues of winter.
Reiki
Reiki is a beautiful type of body work that focuses on light touch and holding space for our emotions. Which is a great way to help combat winter blues! For me as a practitioner, reiki shows up as everything being energy and I am a conductor giving permission for energy to flow through me, from to universe, which then allows that energy to travel to the client wherever it need to go for healing.
I usually don’t talk during theses sessions, unless the client wants to talk about their feelings and what they are going through. This is because I like to give clients the space to acknowledge their emotions and some clients don’t like to talk about those feelings, especially right away. I’ve had clients come back to me for these sessions saying how safe they felt with me opening up during them.
If you would like to know more about reiki and experience it, I’ve talked about reiki in some of my older posts on my blog that goes in more depth on what it is. Now let’s chat about massage and how it can help with winter blues.
Massage – Especially Relaxation and Lymphatic Massage
It seems most people only want a massage because they hurt or are sore, but that’s not the only benefit of getting a massage. It can also help quite the mind and boost your mood, especially for winter blues. Massage activates the body’s rest-and-relaxation response by reducing cortisol levels in the body, as well as enhancing feelings of happiness and well-being by increasing serotonin and dopamine levels in the body. Relaxation and lymphatic massage use more gentle strokes for achieving the rest-and-relaxation response in the body.
This is not to say deep tissue or other types of massage won’t help the body relax, because when our muscles are tight and sore our bodies get restless. I’ll make another post in the future about lymphatic massage and post a video on what it might look like receiving one. Let’s chat about some exercises that can be really beneficial to combat winter blues.
Different Types of Exercising
I know what you’re thinking, “Why would I want to go outside in this cold weather? It’s too cold!” I get that, especially when it gets into the single digits. Brrr! I definitely do not recommend going out when it’s 10 degrees or colder but that’s when we have to make the best of it and take advantage of the slightly warmer days.
Trudging through the snow.
Brisk air touching our faces.
Enjoying nature.
Getting outside and staying active in the winter can truly be medicine for the soul. There are so many ways to move your body outdoors this time of year, and each comes with its own unique benefits. Whether it’s snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, sledding, or even jumping into a snowball fight with people you love, these moments of movement and play can be incredibly nourishing.
Exercise helps increase circulation and supports white blood cell production, which assists the body in fighting off infections and viruses. Spending time in nature, or even around nature-like environments, helps lower cortisol levels, easing stress in the body. And let’s not forget sunlight. Even in winter, exposure to natural light supports vitamin D production, which plays an important role in boosting endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine; those feel-good hormones we often need a little extra of this time of year.
And on the days when getting outside just isn’t accessible, whether because of the weather, time, energy levels, or simply needing something more gentle; this is where other forms of exercise can offer deep support. Practices like; yoga, Thai Chi, swimming at an indoor pool, strength training at home or the gym can help keep circulation moving, calm the nervous system, and support the body’s natural healing processes from the inside out. Just like winter movement, these practices meet the body where it’s at, offering care, warmth, and balance during a season that often asks more of us.
Working out in the winter doesn’t have to be stressful and it is healthy to keep a routine. However if you are like me and tend to get bored with doing the same thing over and over or getting stressed by the idea of it turning into a chore; why not try to switch up the routine slightly by maybe doing an outdoor activity instead of working out indoors, or vice versa. It doesn’t have to be stressful to work out the same way all the time. Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t have the energy to work out every day. Winter is a time for rest, nature teaches us what life is about. Listen to your body, and do what feel right for you.
Thank you for joining me on this week’s journey through movement and bodywork as tools to support ourselves through the winter blues. Next week, I’ll be sharing some of the supplements I personally like to take during the winter months and how they’ve supported my energy, mood, and overall well-being. Then the following week, we’ll explore ways to stay creatively connected during winter. Getting creative through practices like writing and art expression that help keep our inner spark alive, even in the quietest season.
Always on the go.
Season teach us lessons, and
This season is rest.
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