It is the first week of February and my alarm has woken me up to another dark, Monday morning. As I make a cup of tea with my eyes half closed, shielding myself from the big light in the kitchen, I’m already dreaming of sunny, summer days and dreading the fact that when I get home from work - surprise! - it is going to be dark again.
My current mindset is unhelpful: it is only going to make me feel worse. I could shift my perspective. I likely feel sleepy because evidence suggests we need more sleep in winter. I put the big light on to try and force myself awake, but why? I could put on soft lamps and ease myself into the day.
Health psychologist and author of How To Winter, Dr Kari Leibowitz, says that part of why we struggle in winter is because we try to act like nothing has changed. We expect to be able to continue with the same energy as the bright, long days of summer rather than shifting our routine and our mindset with the changing season. Animals are hibernating, the leaves are dropping from the trees: what are we doing to adapt?
Leibowitz explains that our wintertime mindset, our core beliefs about the winter, could be key to positive wellbeing throughout the season. Mindsets can be a powerful tool; evidence shows that the way we think about our health impacts our physical and mental health outcomes. The study discussed in this episode showed a link between a positive wintertime mindset and more positive wellbeing: could this be the secret to wintering well?
In this episode, Leibowitz explains the concept of wintertime mindsets, answers listeners’ questions about ways to feel better in winter, explains some misconceptions about seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and discusses how we can draw from evidence from different settings, daily practices, and science to better understand our wellbeing.
We hope you enjoy this rewind of “Can embracing winter improve mental health?” - we’d love to hear your thoughts and the small yet meaningful ways you are enjoying winter!
Recommendations from the episode
The journal article discussed: Leibowitz and Vittersø (2020), Winter is coming: Wintertime mindset and wellbeing in Norway, published in International Journal of Wellbeing
More information on Kari’s book and newsletter: https://www.karileibowitz.com
What you’ll find in this episode
10:00-15:00 > What is a wintertime mindset?
15:00-20.00 > Seasonal affective disorder: explaining the misconceptions
20.22-26.25 > Treatments for seasonal affective disorder and the link with winter mindsets
26.39-35.00 > Focus on the paper: Is there evidence to show wintertime mindsets are associated with wellbeing?
35.35-41.55 > Why it is important to explain the evidence clearly
41.55-46.20 > Listener question: “I want to lean in to rest in winter, but struggle when the workload doesn’t change. Is it common to feel less motivated when you’re working in the winter months, and how do you address that?”
46.23-49.50 > What if we have limited flexibility over our workday?
49.53-51.40 > Sleep in the winter
51.45-53.50 > Slowing down, seasonal living, and welcoming the darkness
53.53-55.00 > Getting outside more in winter
Links to free mental health support
Samaritans contact information: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
The Mix online chat and phone helplines for under 25s: https://www.themix.org.uk/get-support
Mind Charity contacts: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/for-children-and-young-people/useful-contacts/
The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or The Science or Fiction Podcast.
