When temperatures plummet, so too do many people’s moods and energy levels. While you might feel like hibernating, making a few small lifestyle changes can help. These simple steps by health experts can turn the winter blues into a genuine sense of well-being.

Beat back the blues

Winter can feel slower and more closed-in, which may amplify feelings of stress, loneliness or emotional heaviness, says psychologist Franchele Heiberg. She offers these tips for keeping sane as darkness sets in earlier and the sun rises later:

• Winter is a good time to soften expectations, practise self-compassion and focus on activities that bring comfort or meaning.
• If low mood begins to affect work, relationships or daily life, it may be time to seek professional support.
• Warning signs include withdrawing from others, changes in sleep or appetite, persistent hopelessness or emotional numbness.
• Gentle movement like stretching or walking improves emotional balance even on low-energy days.

Move that body

While emotional support is vital, physical activity is equally important for maintaining a positive outlook. When there is ice in the air, social media scrolling and TV binges – with snacks at hand – may shape your leisure time. However, says biokineticist Julia Wright, these activities are energy draining rather than restorative.

Doing nothing too often and for too long affects mood and mobility. If you have not exercised in a while, she advises that you ‘start small’ and progress gradually to build confidence and routine. She offers these tips:

• Regular screening provides a safe starting point before beginning or increasing exercise.
• Tailored activity reduces risk of injury and encourages proactive health management.
• Exercise helps regulate stress hormones and promotes better sleep quality, essential for immune recovery.
• Simple home-based options include chair exercises, sit-to-stands, wall push-ups, step-ups or marching on the spot.

Balance brings contentment

Kinesiologist Julie Mostert advocates listening to your body’s needs during winter to maintain balance on physical, mental and emotional levels. She suggests that finding harmony within ourselves allows us to better navigate external changes.

“Reflection or journalling can support emotional resilience,” she says. So too can interaction and intellectual challenges. “Try a new hobby, reach out socially or do acts of kindness during seasonal changes.”

Her top tips:

• Reframe limiting beliefs such as ‘I’m lazy in winter’ or ‘I always get sick’.
• Maintain a seven- to nine-hour sleep schedule to keep your circadian rhythm in check.

Make food your friend, not your foe

A balanced mindset is often mirrored in our eating habits, which can shift significantly as the weather cools. Dietician Mignon Jordaan from Mindful Eating says that less productivity during winter often leads to more eating and less exercise.

To prevent weight gain and sluggishness, which often lead to low self-esteem and unhappiness, she offers this advice:

• Replace sugar with fresh fruit, sweeteners or a small portion of honey when preparing sweet treats.
• Weekly shopping and planning meals in advance helps prevent unnecessary stress and poor food choices.
• Use quick protein sources such as boiled eggs, tinned legumes, tinned fish or cottage cheese.
• Add lean protein to most meals to improve satiety and reduce sugar cravings.

Be a safe sunseeker

In addition to what we eat, how we interact with the environment plays a crucial role in our nutritional health. In winter, the sun’s lower angle and shorter days mean fewer UVB rays reach your skin, making it harder for your body to naturally produce the Vitamin D it needs for bone health and immunity.

Nicki de Villiers, a registered dietitian, adds that Vitamin D plays a central role in immune regulation by supporting antimicrobial peptide production. She says that winter poses challenges even in sunny regions due to reduced UVB intensity and increased indoor living.

Do this to counter the possible side effects of seasonal vitamin deficiency:

• Allow for approximately 10–20 minutes of midday sun exposure to arms and legs several times per week.
• Dietary sources of vitamin D include fatty fish and egg yolks.
• Small dietary swaps – such as oats instead of refined cereals or lentil-based soups instead of creamy soups – can improve nutrient intake.

Keep your skin nourished

While the sun provides essential vitamins, the cold air and indoor heating can be harsh on our physical exterior. Winter air contains less humidity and indoor heating further strips moisture from the skin. This weakens the skin barrier, leading to water loss and irritation, says Dr Barbara van der Westhuizen, a specialist dermatologist.

Common winter skin problems include eczema flare-ups, perioral dermatitis and rosacea flares, she explains. “Hydration involves preserving the skin barrier, not only drinking water.”

Her suggestions for happy skin include:

• Applying a thick moisturiser immediately after bathing – pat skin dry rather than rubbing.
• Reducing exfoliation frequency and temporarily stopping actives like retinoids if irritation occurs.
• Seeking early medical advice to prevent a mild winter skin issue from becoming a prolonged flare.

Allergies alert

Finally, staying indoors to protect our skin and stay warm can create a different set of health hurdles. When we close the windows and doors to keep the heat in, we also trap allergens indoors, says Dr Marinda McDonald of the Allergy Clinic. She says running indoor humidifiers can increase dust mite growth because they prefer more humid conditions; the same applies to indoor mould.

To keep allergies at bay, she offers these tips:

• Make sure that your asthma is well-controlled when you enter flu season to prevent severe flare-ups.
• If you have severe asthma, you might want to invest in an air purifier to help control exposure.
• Most common winter triggers include dust mites in stored jerseys and blankets, indoor mould and pets.
• The asthma control test is a simple way of determining if you need to seek medical help for your asthma.

When temperatures plummet, so too do many people’s moods and energy levels. While you might feel like hibernating, making a few small lifestyle changes can help. These simple steps by health experts can turn the winter blues into a genuine sense of well-being.

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