7 Mantras to Get You Through the Winter Blues
Embracing Light in the Winter Darkness - By Cora Gold
Reading time: 3 minutes
Are you counting down the days to February. 2 and praying that Punxatawny Phil delivers good news of a short winter? You aren’t alone if you struggle this time of year. Even folks without full-blown seasonal depression can get fed up with gray skies, cold weather, and how much longer it takes to do everything when you must account for ice and snow.
The right mantras can remind you that spring will come again. Before you know it, you will once more be able to bask in the sun’s warmth. Until then, take note of these seven mantras to get you through the winter blues.
1. I Am in Charge of How I Feel, and Today, I Choose Happiness
Two crucial thoughts that everyone should understand is this:
- You are not your thoughts.
- You are not your feelings.
While your thoughts and feelings are a part of you, they don’t comprise your identity. There’s still the part of you capable of choice, and what you decide to do influences your ideas and emotions.
However, it’s natural to get caught up in negativity spirals if you aren’t careful, especially during winter when the weather is cold and dreary. Pull this mantra out on the snowiest days to remind you to embrace hygge.
2. Life is Pure
The mantra “pura vida” is a common expression used in Costa Rica as a reminder that life is pure. During cold, dark winter days, this mantra can help you focus on what’s really important in life.
The pure life mindset encourages you to let go of mundane tasks and worries. You may feel discouraged during the winter, but remind yourself just how great life can be. Spend time with loved ones, get some fresh air and focus on the positives.
3. I Provide Benefits to Others Every Season of the Year
Why are you here? Why is anyone? Some people find deep meaning in providing service to others, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you must start a nonprofit or create a foundation in your name. It might encompass little more than being the best parent possible to your kid or stopping to listen, really listen, to someone down on their luck.
Why is this mantra magic for the winter blues? It reminds you that you matter and that your actions make a meaningful difference in the world. It combats the feelings of worthlessness that can sometimes accompany seasonal depression.
4. One Thing at a Time, for Tomorrow Is Another Day
Everything seems to take longer in the winter, from walking across icy sidewalks to commuting to work. It doesn’t help that the season changes just as everyone gets busier around the holidays.
This mantra reminds you that the world won’t come to a screeching halt if you fail to accomplish an item on your to-do list today. Furthermore, there’s nothing wrong with saving some chores for a sunny day.
5. My Feelings Are Valid, and I Deserve to Feel Better
Even though your feelings are not your identity, they still matter. Having them invalidated, even by an “Oh, cheer up! It’s the most wonderful time of the year” after confessing to feeling down, doesn’t feel good.
Many people take that advice to heart, thinking they must buck up and that fighting to suppress their low mood will beat it into submission. That’s not reality. Telling yourself to simply cheer up when you feel blue is akin to telling yourself not to picture a pink elephant for the next 30 seconds — the first thing that pops into your brain is a Pepto-Bismol-colored pachyderm.
Instead, exercise compassion. Recognize and validate your low mood, even if only to yourself. Then, proactively decide that if it’s going to be a “C” day, you’ll make it the best it can be and treat yourself like you would a friend going through a rough patch. Indulge in TLC.
6. Everything Comes in Cycles, and I Will Feel Good Again
It’s admittedly a tough winter to have the blues, as people all around the world have faced a year of hardships. How can you cope when the sky and the news are equally dark at 5 p.m.?
Remember, bad times come and go — just like the seasons. Remind yourself to look for the glimmers, little rays of hope and positivity, and avoid negative news, at least until you feel better.
7. I Permit Myself to Rest
Once upon a time, humans didn’t go to war against the cold, bundling themselves up in artificially heated cars to dutifully perform business as usual. They slowed down in the winter. Although they didn’t hibernate, they spent time indoors with their families and clan, working on projects that would come in handy during the warm season. They also slept more.
You can do the same. While you might not want to sleep through longer nights entirely, adding a few minutes to a half-hour on either end of your cycle or taking more naps lets you rest as nature intended.
Mantras for the Winter Blues
Seasonal depression is real, but even people who don’t have a diagnosis can struggle in winter. However, the sun will return.
Until it does, comfort yourself with these mantras to get you through the winter blues. Hang them on your mirror or monitor — anywhere you’ll frequently see them — and repeat them often as low moods strike.
