Getting Winter Funky

This is a topic that comes up every year in January, February and March.  This is when up here in the northern hemisphere it is dark and cold and joyless (if we let it be).

We tend to get the blues and fall into what has come to be known as a ‘winter funk’.   I googled this topic and found that I had actually written a very good post on this topic in March of 2013.

Here’s a link.  https://runrunlive.com/getting-out-of-a-winter-funk

Let’s revisit the topic again and see if we can come up with any new or useful directions.

First of all what are the symptoms of a winter funk?

We all have probably heard the phrase “Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)”.  This is the label that has been given to this well-known, often talked about,  phenomenon of getting into a funk during specific times of the year.  Winter is typically that time.

The common symptoms are read like a case of mild depression.

• Feelings of anxiety, depression, hopelessness and difficulty concentrating
• Energy loss and physical sluggishness
• Oversleeping
• Social withdrawal and loss of interest in activities
• Appetite fluctuations and comfort eating and weight gain

There is some real physiological evidence for the funk.  Various hormones and other physical influencers fluctuate during this time of year – and we feel it. These symptoms are quite real.  They’re not ‘in your head’.

As endurance athletes we have an advantage and a disadvantage here.  Our advantage is that we are in tune with our bodies and are typically already fairly active and healthy.  We are starting in a better place to begin with.  Our disadvantage is that we are so committed to our training that it sometimes becomes another source of stress.

I feel some of the ‘common symptoms’ in my seasonal mood swings.  The three big ones for me are: sleeping, eating and not wanting to workout.

Let’s talk through these.

Oversleeping is very noticeable for me.  I’m usually I guy who gets up at 5:00 AM and starts the day on an aggressive, positive note.  In the dark days of winter I want to sleep.  I can sleep for 10 hours and want to sleep some more.

The problem with all this sleeping is it doesn’t help.  It makes your funk worse.  It must be some sort of mammalian hibernation thing, but when you sleep more you don’t feel refreshed, you just feel groggy.

The experts say that the best way to counteract the oversleeping problem is to get up earlier.  That sounds super simple, but in practice how do you keep your funky self from hitting the snooze button and staying in that warm bed?

A few tactics you can use are as follows.  First, as simple as it sounds, put your alarm clock on the other side of the room, or even in a different room so at least you have to get out of bed.

Second, try to get to bed on time so you get a full 8 hours, or whatever you think the number should be.  For example; if you’re going to try to get up at 5 then plan to get to bed by 9:00.

Third, have ready a big glass of water that you drink as soon as you get out of bed.  This really makes a difference in helping you wake up and starting to rehydrate.  Some people put a dash of vinegar in the water to counter-act acidity.

Fourth, create a before bed routine where you set yourself up for successful getting up.  This could be a simple, short self-talk or positive visualization before you lay your head down as to why you really want to and are going to get up.

And, finally create a morning routine so that once you’re up you are doing something useful and rewarding like meditation or writing, etc.  For more ideas on this I would refer you to Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning Book.

The other big one for me is eating.  I tend to want to eat a lot of comfort food in the dark months.  For me that’s fatty stuff and carbohydrates.  Pot roast and potato chips.  Counting calories just makes it worse.  Once I start thinking about the food I want more food.

The experts seem to have the same advice as they always have.  They say eat less fatty foods and less empty calorie ‘white’ foods like pasta, bread and white rice.  They say to try to get enough protein through beans, lentils, nuts and eggs.  They say to eat whole foods.  That all sounds a bit too familiar to me and I sense that there’s no science behind that advice that is specific to a seasonal funk.

Instead of the same old ‘eat healthy’ platitudes what could be some discrete actions we could take to counter the winter comfort eating?  One thing I think is true is that in the winter we tend to be dehydrated and making sure you get more water is a good thing.

Another discrete action I think helps, especially when you’re in a funk, is some pro-active meal planning and creation.  Schedule an hour on Friday or Saturday morning to create at least a partial meal plan.  Then go get those groceries and schedule another hour on Sunday to prep and make meals.

When you get into a funk your decision making muscles get weak.  You’re more likely to reach for the fudge brownies because making that salad is just so much work…  By preparing as many healthy meals ahead of time as you can you reduce the number of decisions you have to make. You’ll have more resilience against bingeing.

This simplifies your life and gives you power.  But, you have to actually schedule the planning, shopping and prep in your calendar so you don’t sit down on the couch and sleep through it.

The last thing that I certainly struggle with is getting out to do my workouts in the deep dark depths of winter.  I just don’t have as much mental energy.  I feel sluggish.  The good news is that one of the primary defenses against SAD is exercise and anything you can manage is a win.

Many of us will retreat inside to the treadmill or the gym in the winter to avoid the giant pain in the ass of putting on 400 layers of clothes and struggling through the snow banks.  That’s fine.  I will do many of my proscriptive runs on the treadmill because it’s just too hard to control the variable outside.

It’s still important to get outside.  Fresh air and sun are very good for counteracting that sluggishness.  Even if you’re not going to do your main workouts outside, still find a way to get outside, preferably during the day, even if it’s just to walk the dog or go for a 20 minute hike.  It will wake you up and refresh you.

Those are the three main challenges I get in a winter slump and how I try to deal with them.  At the end of the day it’s a battle and you just have to keep fighting, keep moving forward and not be so hard on yourself.

To close out this article I’m going to give you some extra, fun things that people do to combat the winter blues.

• Buy some fresh flowers. I read this today and thought to myself “what a great idea!” bringing home a nice spring bouquet for your cave will certainly change the atmosphere.
• Light a scented candle – again changing the atmosphere.
• Eat summer foods. You may be limited in what you can procure but make some of those summer recipes and it might change your attitude.
• One post I read suggested that winter is a great time for reading. It’s worth a try. Probably better than chocolate cake and Law and Order re-runs.
• Several of the posts suggest organizing a room or cleaning a space. This will freshen a part of your environment and put your mentally in control.  This might mean working through that inside home fix-it list.  Can be empowering.

That’s what I have for you.  Give it a try and let us know what works.

…

Postscript

After penning this piece I went home and instead of just eating and sitting on the couch I did an hour of meal prep.  I made a big bowl of salad.  I made a big batch of homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  I made a blender full of almond milk smoothie.

I found this process to be very empowering and was able to take a nice salad with healthy dressing to work with me.

I also went to bed early after reading a bit and set the alarm clock to get up early.

I rose when the clock went off.  I did some meditation and some light affirmation.  I read a couple pages from “When things fall apart” by Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron, not by plan, just because it happen to be one of the books lying around my desk.

I was more at peace than I had been in weeks.  I spontaneously wrote a post about not getting wrapped up in worrying about the future path but taking time to listen and hear the lessons that the current moment is trying to teach you.

I have been at peace and settled in my mind all day now, simply by this morning routine.  I have been kind to my family and I have been effective and efficient in my work.

It is the simple things that can change your outlook.  It is the simple things that can pull you from your funk.

Cheers,

Chris