
Mental health tips - staying positive through the winter
Annie shares how she takes care of her mental health during the coldest months of the year.
As we approach the end of January, moving into February, spring still feels a long way off. I sometimes feel as if I’m stuck in an endless, grey slog through cold, wet and muddy days.
It’s important to keep on top of our mental health as we wait for spring to return. These are a few of the things that help me:
Embracing hygge, kindness and compassion
I’ve embraced the Danish concept of hygge, which can be defined as ‘creating an atmosphere of coziness and comfort in both your physical surroundings and your emotional state’.
Keeping warm can be a challenge, but it helps me to keep one room comfortable, and my dog and I share my heated throw as we snuggle on the settee. (She gets more than her fair share!) I leave some fairy lights on when it’s dark, enjoy a warm drink and read a good book, watch a good TV programme or talk to friends by phone or Zoom.
Chocolate helps my mood, if not the post-Christmas diet… I love colour and cushions and woolly socks, but whatever helps you to create your own cosy atmosphere is hygge.
I’ve also found that if I have the opportunity to do a small act of kindness for someone, it can help them and help me too. It can create a circle of compassion.
Remembering to be compassionate with myself, rather than criticising myself for my limitations helps me remember to be compassionate with others. And this reminds me to have compassion and care for myself…and so on. It’s a virtuous circle.
What we focus on becomes a bigger part of our experience
My mood is affected by what I focus on. I find it tempting in our troubled times to focus on the news at home and abroad. But focusing on 24-hour rolling news can leave me feeling helpless, hopeless and depressed.
Whilst I like to keep abreast of current events, it helps my mood if I limit the time and energy I spend on this. I like to read a daily newspaper or listen to the news once a day on the TV or radio, and that’s enough. It keeps me informed without demoralising me.
It also helps me to seek out something positive in my experience each day. Maybe my legs hurt less than usual, or my dog makes me laugh, or there’s a beautiful early morning sky to watch. It's easy to see all the negative things in our experience, but it helps to make a positive effort to find some positives too.
My energy is limited. But looking for the positive things in my experience only takes a few minutes and it's energy well spent. Some people like to keep a ‘gratitude journal’, which is something interesting to do on long winter days.
I try to walk a short distance every day and keep mobile around my house. Keeping moving helps me to keep warm and adds interest to the day.

Getting outdoors, exercising and sticking to a routine
Exercise is a great way to improve my mood and there’s something for everyone whatever their level of ability. I try to walk a short distance every day and keep mobile around my house. Keeping moving also helps me to keep warm and adds interest to the day – which helps my mood.
There are also lots of yoga, mindful movement and chair-based exercises that can be done at home. The MS Society has exercise videos to guide you through the basics, and also yoga and Pilates videos.
I always try to get outdoors if possible, even if it’s only in my garden or the local street. I find myself chatting to neighbours as I hobble around with my dog, and that kind of casual interaction lifts my mood.
Routine also helps me. Even on the darkest, coldest morning, my bladder and my dog both force me out of bed fairly early. Luckily, I enjoy watching the sky lighten as I have my coffee and prepare to begin the day. Keeping to my baseline of activity helps reduce the risk of deconditioning when I’m tempted to ‘hibernate’.
Staying connected
You might love summertime activities, but finding something you can do and enjoy through the winter months can help you to stay positive. I live alone, and don’t have family closer than 50 miles away. My friends are mostly my age (70s), and have their own health issues, and I’ve found Zoom offers a real ‘window on the world’ from the warmth and comfort of my living room.
I love Zoom, and I’ve found it’s opened opportunities for me which might otherwise have been closed down by my MS. So I’m able to attend two reading groups, and a ‘writing for pleasure’ group, all of which meet monthly. I’m also part of a mindfulness community online, and can attend group meditations and workshops, many of which are free. I enjoy meeting up with friends and family for Zoom coffee and cake sessions, and Zoom afternoon tea! Cake and chat definitely lift my mood.
These are my interests, and yours may be different. But remember that as well as offering a way to keep in touch with family and friends, there’s an online community of interest for anyone and everyone – art and crafts classes, support groups, choirs, interest groups for any subjects you can think of.
Spring will return
All things are passing. Nothing lasts for ever – not even January. Spring and summer will return. As someone with MS who is very heat-intolerant, I love the cold, crisp days we sometimes have in autumn and winter, and dread heatwaves.
You may feel a corresponding dread of the cold winter months. But if you can get out into the natural world, and look closely, there will soon be signs of the coming of spring. I look forward to seeing the snowdrops in the local park. Spring will return in a few short weeks. The days will lengthen and the sun will shine – at least occasionally!