How to feel good when the weather is bad.

Eight ways to beat

the winter blues

"Winter is a disease" declared French poet and playwright Alfred De Mussett. Many people can identify with that statement. Various factors make winter a gloomy and even depressing season. From November through March it's darker longer while the weather is colder, cloudier, and wetter. It is a time of year people experience diminishing energy and increasing lethargy. Yet winter can be a spiritually creative, intellectually productive, and an emotionally informative time, too. Here are eight ways to beat the winter blues and feel good when the weather is bad.

1. Choose to be an "oak" flourishing in winter.

Make winter a season of deep spiritual growth. Seventeenth-century spiritual writer Thomas Traherne believed that winter was an ideal time to heighten spiritual disciplines and deepen the inner life. "A Christian is an oak flourishing in winter" he wrote. With less sunlight outdoors and more time spent indoors, utilize those hours to study, reflect, and pray. Join a midweek Bible study group. Attend church services during the week as often as possible in addition to Sabbath worship.

2. Go on a spiritual retreat.

Another way to experience God's blessings in the winter is to go on a spiritual retreat. Many organizations offer weekend retreats during which you can participate in small study groups, pray (privately and corporately), and be spiritually directed by an experienced leader. If able, why not consider using some of your traditional summer vacation in the winter to go on a weeklong retreat, perhaps in a different part of the country?

3. Prepare for joy.

Remind yourself of the biblical passage Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength, (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV).(*) Rather than simply dread the dead of winter, prepare yourself emotionally and spiritually to experience joy. Joy may appear to come suddenly, but in reality we prepare for joy every time we speak our truths, care for ourselves, expand our knowledge, nurture our friendships, let people love us, take on new adventures, and go where our hearts lead us" notes psychologist Charlotte Davis Kasl, Ph.D., in her book Finding Joy.

4. Begin an exercise program.

Shorter days and longer nights present an ideal opportunity to work out at a gym or health club. Research reveals that exercise beats back the blues. At the University of Wisconsin, researchers wanted to compare the benefits of exercise and long-term psychotherapy. Individuals who were depressed were placed in one of two groups. Some were assigned to 10 weeks of running therapy and 10 weeks of psychotherapy. This group met with their therapist and exercised three times a week. They were not permitted to discuss their depression during the run. The other group was strictly in psychotherapy. When the experiment concluded, the running patients showed the most improvement. More important, a year later most of the joggers were still running and were free of depression.

5. Remember the connection between food and mood.

Food can have an adverse effect on mood. Typically, many people experience weight gain during the winter months. One simple technique for minimizing winter laziness is to reduce fat consumption. That action will not only help maintain normal weight, but will leave a person feeling more energetic, says Gretchen Newmark, R.D., a Portland, Oregon, nutritionist. "Even if people are not concerned about their weight, it is a good idea to eat less fat in the winter. High-fat meals fill the bloodstream with fat, making less oxygen available to the brain. Sleepiness and low energy can result, as exemplified by family members who compete for sofas to nap on after a holiday feast." Newmark recommends eating more breads, cereals, pastas, fruits, and vegetables while limiting meat, dairy products, fried foods, and fatty sauces.

6. Acknowledge your attributes.

On a dull, dreary day it's easy to get down on yourself as well. For some reason most of us are quick to magnify our faults while forgetting our assets. Take an inventory of your strengths and successes. Do you make it to work every day? Are you a good friend? After taking the inventory, celebrate the good in your life by giving yourself a compliment or doing something special for yourself.

7. Express gratitude daily.

Before A. J. Cronin became a best-selling author, he was a doctor. He tells of a colleague who gave an unusual "prescription" to patients afflicted with discouragement and depression. The doctor called it his "thank-you cure." He would instruct his patients: "For six weeks I want you to say thank you whenever anyone does you a favor. And to show you mean it, emphasize the words with a smile." Within six weeks most of the doctor's patients reported great emotional improvement.

8. Be patient - the weather will change.

Here is a final tip for feeling good when the weather is bad. It comes via Scripture. The writer of the Song of Songs declares; "See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come" (Song of Solomon 2:11, 12, NIV). If all else fails, try reminding yourself that the weather, no matter how bad, will change. Remember that each passing day brings God,s new birth of spring closer and closer.

(*) Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright(c) 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.