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When I lived in Portland I’d chuckle at announcements for an annual cycling event called The Worst Day of the Year Ride, which is held sometime around February. There’s a ride with the same name in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We’re coming up on that time of year, folks. Humorous equations have even been created to predict the worst day, such as this one, where W=weather, d=debt, D=monthly salary, T=time since Christmas, Q=time since failing our new year's resolutions, M=low motivational levels, and Na=the feeling of a need to take action.
Sorry to all those who have February birthdays and everyone who loves winter (for the record, I love all the seasons, I just don’t love long periods without sun). It’s a challenging time for many, as it’s often cold and dreary, the holidays are over, the lights have been taken down, you may have lost your resolution motivation, and of course, there’s COVID.
A few weeks ago I wrote an article called Meeting With the Spirit of Winter, which I encourage you to check out if winter is a struggle for you. This week I want to talk about some of the physical things you can do to have an easier winter.
- Reach out to friends and family.
I know it’s hard when you’re feeling melancholy or sluggish, but it’s good medicine. Get on a video chat or take a walk together. If you struggle to get it planned and then weeks or months pass before the next one, try setting it up as a weekly thing, or always schedule the next one before you say goodbye.
- Take advantage of the light.
Get outside, even if the weather sucks. On a clear day, the brightness (measured in lux) is about 10,000 lux outside. On an overcast day it’s closer to 1,000 lux. Typical home and office levels are about 250-500 lux. Grocery stores are often around 750 lux. So a cloudy day is still brighter than most indoor environments. And simply being outside and connecting with nature is also therapeutic.
Most people with low winter mood and energy notice a boost from exposure to bright light – whether by getting outside, working next to a window, or supplementing with a full spectrum light. It used to be that you could only approximate daylight with a fluorescent bulb and full spectrum light systems were somewhat expensive. Nowadays there are cheap, super-bright full spectrum LED lights available. It’s best to use these when the sun would normally be brightest, to help normalize your circadian rhythm.
- Get enough vitamin D.
Most of us produce insufficient vitamin D in the winter, even if it’s sunny. Supplementing may help boost your immune system. I typically recommend people take about 35 units per pound of body weight per day. If you’ve been tested and have low vitamin D, you might need higher doses for a while to get yourself to an optimal level. Numerous studies have shown a correlation between low vitamin D levels and more severe cases of COVID-19. If you take high dose vitamin D over time, it’s worthwhile to supplement with a little vitamin K also.
- If you live in a damp home, get it managed.
A study in the American Journal of Public Health showed a link between depression and living in a damp, moldy home. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, environmental dampness is considered to have a stagnating and congealing effect on the flow of energy through the body. This is also why many sufferers of chronic pain conditions, such as arthritis or fibromyalgia, complain that they feel stiffer and tighter in rainy weather.
When I lived in Portland, I saw patients with mold exposure all the time. I thought when we moved to Colorado I wouldn’t see it in this dry climate, but it’s prevalent here, too. Besides depression and achy joints, mold can cause a host of other health problems. If you suspect there may be mold in your living space, it’s worth testing for it and getting it remediated if it’s present. A dehumidifier may help in moist spaces.
- Keep moving.
Exercise is essential at all times of year, but especially in the winter when the combination of cold temperatures, dry air, shorter days, less nature exposure, and more resilient viruses all work against us. While I feel it’s important to tune in to the energy of the season – which is, after all, about dormancy – 20 to 30 minutes of some kind of movement each day is still a good idea.
I hope these tips and those in Meeting with the Spirit of Winter help you enjoy this season more. And remember, the days are already getting longer (by about 2½ minutes each day)!
Be well,
Peter
[post_title] => How to Manage the Winter Blues
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[post_content] => In this video, Dr. Peter Borten shares some insight into why attention and focus problems (ADD, ADHD) are so prevalent these days, and some simple and natural ways we can improve our focus and ability to concentrate.
What do you do to temper the constant influx of information in your life and remain focused? Please share in the comments below!
[post_title] => Talking Wellness With Peter: Improve Your Focus [VIDEO]
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A few years ago, we added a simple habit-tracking system in our ever popular Dreambook. Users can track up to four habits at a time, marking their progress on each day using whatever indicator or scale works best.
This system addresses some of the key challenges of changing habits – remembering to do it, tracking progress to catalyze motivation, and looking at the trend over time to reinforce self-trust and recognize one’s growth.
But there’s another factor in changing habits that can help make them easier to implement and more likely to “stick” in a permanent way. It’s the alignment of habits with our beliefs, values, and identities. When our beliefs are in sync with our behaviors, they support each other. When they’re out of sync, our good habits don’t last.
Take, for instance, the oh-so-common new year’s resolution of losing weight. If we see ourselves as an out of shape person with a lack of discipline, this resolution is doomed because we tend to act in accordance with who we believe ourselves to be.
Another reason such a resolution might not last is when the goal represents a fixed point. If we resolve to lose 20 pounds and we achieve it, then we’re complete and off the hook. The energy we mustered to pull it off runs out and we lose steam.
If you’re a Dreambook user, you know that we are big fans of goals – including fixed, measurable, and material ones. Achieving these goals often depends on good habits – such as saving money, eating well, or practicing a new language – but because they’re complete at a certain point, they aren’t always enough if your true objective is to permanently install the habits that made that goal possible.
Based on who you want to be, it’s likely that this is your true objective – to embody the way of this identity. As you live the habits of this chosen being, you reinforce that you are the person you aim to be.
So, if there’s a habit you wish to establish, consider: for what kind of person would this habit be natural? If the desired habit is daily exercise, perhaps the answer is a fit and healthy person. If the crux of the challenge is honoring your agreements with yourself, maybe the answer is a person with integrity or a person who always keeps their agreements. If you see yourself as healthy and fit, then behaviors that support health and fitness come naturally. If you don’t, then these habits feel like a contradiction.
Going through the Core Values, Gifts, and Life Purpose sections of the Dreambook can be helpful for determining your deeper “identity goals.” Ideally your chosen identities will not only bring about the results you want… Even more satisfying is that the clarity and conscious choice involved in the process, and the eventual embodiment of this identity throughout your life will make you the person your soul has always believed you could be.
Along with the recognition of an intentional identity, it’s still worthwhile to measurable and unmeasurable goals, and to use the habit tracker to make the way of your Highest Self your M.O.
For instance, a resolution to lose weight might lead to identifying core values such as vibrant health, relishing life, living to your potential, and leading by example. From these values the goal that emerges might be something like “To embody vibrant health and love of life!” While that may be hard to quantify, it also necessitates continual improvement and refinement – which are natural traits of the kind of person who chooses such goals, and which provide ongoing evidence that you are that person.
Happy Dreambooking,
Peter
[post_title] => Make Good Habits Stick
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When I lived in Portland I’d chuckle at announcements for an annual cycling event called The Worst Day of the Year Ride, which is held sometime around February. There’s a ride with the same name in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We’re coming up on that time of year, folks. Humorous equations have even been created to predict the worst day, such as this one, where W=weather, d=debt, D=monthly salary, T=time since Christmas, Q=time since failing our new year's resolutions, M=low motivational levels, and Na=the feeling of a need to take action.
Sorry to all those who have February birthdays and everyone who loves winter (for the record, I love all the seasons, I just don’t love long periods without sun). It’s a challenging time for many, as it’s often cold and dreary, the holidays are over, the lights have been taken down, you may have lost your resolution motivation, and of course, there’s COVID.
A few weeks ago I wrote an article called Meeting With the Spirit of Winter, which I encourage you to check out if winter is a struggle for you. This week I want to talk about some of the physical things you can do to have an easier winter.
- Reach out to friends and family.
I know it’s hard when you’re feeling melancholy or sluggish, but it’s good medicine. Get on a video chat or take a walk together. If you struggle to get it planned and then weeks or months pass before the next one, try setting it up as a weekly thing, or always schedule the next one before you say goodbye.
- Take advantage of the light.
Get outside, even if the weather sucks. On a clear day, the brightness (measured in lux) is about 10,000 lux outside. On an overcast day it’s closer to 1,000 lux. Typical home and office levels are about 250-500 lux. Grocery stores are often around 750 lux. So a cloudy day is still brighter than most indoor environments. And simply being outside and connecting with nature is also therapeutic.
Most people with low winter mood and energy notice a boost from exposure to bright light – whether by getting outside, working next to a window, or supplementing with a full spectrum light. It used to be that you could only approximate daylight with a fluorescent bulb and full spectrum light systems were somewhat expensive. Nowadays there are cheap, super-bright full spectrum LED lights available. It’s best to use these when the sun would normally be brightest, to help normalize your circadian rhythm.
- Get enough vitamin D.
Most of us produce insufficient vitamin D in the winter, even if it’s sunny. Supplementing may help boost your immune system. I typically recommend people take about 35 units per pound of body weight per day. If you’ve been tested and have low vitamin D, you might need higher doses for a while to get yourself to an optimal level. Numerous studies have shown a correlation between low vitamin D levels and more severe cases of COVID-19. If you take high dose vitamin D over time, it’s worthwhile to supplement with a little vitamin K also.
- If you live in a damp home, get it managed.
A study in the American Journal of Public Health showed a link between depression and living in a damp, moldy home. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, environmental dampness is considered to have a stagnating and congealing effect on the flow of energy through the body. This is also why many sufferers of chronic pain conditions, such as arthritis or fibromyalgia, complain that they feel stiffer and tighter in rainy weather.
When I lived in Portland, I saw patients with mold exposure all the time. I thought when we moved to Colorado I wouldn’t see it in this dry climate, but it’s prevalent here, too. Besides depression and achy joints, mold can cause a host of other health problems. If you suspect there may be mold in your living space, it’s worth testing for it and getting it remediated if it’s present. A dehumidifier may help in moist spaces.
- Keep moving.
Exercise is essential at all times of year, but especially in the winter when the combination of cold temperatures, dry air, shorter days, less nature exposure, and more resilient viruses all work against us. While I feel it’s important to tune in to the energy of the season – which is, after all, about dormancy – 20 to 30 minutes of some kind of movement each day is still a good idea.
I hope these tips and those in Meeting with the Spirit of Winter help you enjoy this season more. And remember, the days are already getting longer (by about 2½ minutes each day)!
Be well,
Peter
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