Bolster your mental health during the depths of winter by resisting the urge to hibernate indoors.
Winter is the most yin of seasons. The chillier temperatures, harsher weather, and shorter days encourage many of us to retreat from the elements and hunker down indoors.
This physical change in gears is often accompanied by a parallel mental shift – away from the externally oriented arena of noise, motion, and activity and towards a more introspective space that values stillness, silence, and the conservation of energy.
Yet there are sound reasons to resist the call to hibernate. Many studies confirm that physical activity boosts immunity, lowers blood pressure, strengthens bones and muscles, and improves balance. Exercising when the world seems cold and grey may even yield additional bonuses, such as increased endurance, because you’re sweating less and your heart is less under load, according to Harvard Health. Cold weather workouts may also double the amount of fat burnt due to the activation of a peptide found in muscles called sarcolipin. Staying connected to the great outdoors is beneficial for other reasons too.
Although Australians have sensibly heeded sun-safe messages, almost one-third are now deficient in vitamin D, the main source of which is skin exposure to sunlight. To maintain adequate vitamin D levels in winter, researchers now recommend moderately fair-skinned people walk most days for up to 40 minutes at noon with as much bare skin exposed as feasible. Also prescribed is a daily dose of fresh air, given that most of us spend 90 percent of our time indoors. This assumes additional importance in winter, when rooms are sealed against the elements and wood-fired heaters reduce indoor air quality. Staying connected to nature can also bolster mental health, reducing the risk of ‘winter blues’. This became particularly important during pandemic-related lockdowns, with two-thirds of Australians surveyed by Plant Life Balance in 2021 reporting that connecting with nature was more important to them now than before the pandemic. In comparison to countries that have little sunlight in winter, seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression, is rare in Australia and New Zealand.
Nevertheless, people report feeling flat and lethargic at this time of year. You can take advantage of nature’s mood-boosting benefits by choosing an activity you love. Layer up and when icy winds or the threat of rain test your resolve, have something lined up to look forward to after your nature-based activity – a warm shower, a hot chocolate, or a mug of mulled wine. You might just find that winter is the perfect time to forge a deeper bond with nature. Read on for all the inspiration you’ll need to get out there.
HIKING
Winter is the ideal season for hiking. Although snow-capped mountains make for a picture-postcard experience, savouring the minimalist beauty of sparse, bare countryside can be equally captivating. During the colder months, there is less rain and fewer encounters with leeches and mosquitoes. The Snowy Mountains or Blue Mountains in New South Wales offer trails leading past lakes, ravines, and rocky outcrops. Research suggests that hikers see physical activity as incidental to other goals, such as sightseeing or socialising, which means that simply strolling around your neighbourhood or meeting up with a friend in a local park can be good for you too.
GARDENING
From snowdrops to paper daisies, winter blooms brighten the gloomiest of days. But you needn’t sow flower seeds to reap the perks of gardening. Many people started growing their own produce during the pandemic to soothe shattered nerves and calm food security fears. Manual labour like digging and weeding supports heart health, while many studies reveal gardening reduces anxiety, tension, confusion, and fatigue. Community gardening where folks share soil, space, and supplies can also strengthen social bonds, while just a few window box herbs can make your kitchen more self-sufficient. Honing your green thumb during winter means both you and your plants are less likely to wilt.
SNOW ADVENTURE
From June, New Zealand’s alpine landscapes begin to resemble a giant snow dome. Amid this winter wonderland, snow-hopping seems the only sensible thing to do. The list of snow-themed pursuits is many and varied, ranging from skiing, snowboarding, and tobogganing to snowshoeing and snowmobiling. There’s also growing demand in the land of the long white cloud for heli-hiking or heli-skiing, where chopper drops to more remote locations amplify the sense of adventure. Once sated, you can warm up in one of the many Queenstown accommodation options, such as Kamana Lakehouse with its luxurious rooms that offer outdoor soaking tubs with views out over Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range.
SUN SEEKING
It’s still possible to indulge your inner sunseeker during winter. Queensland’s Sunshine Coast harbours pristine beaches and lush subtropical rainforests complete with winter daytime temperatures above 20 degrees. This region topped last year’s Tourism Sentiment Index, which taps 1.8 billion online conversations and content pieces to establish what people really feel about a destination. Enveloped in greenery, the new HOLA (short for House of Local Art) makes a stylish bohemian bolthole from which to plot your course. You might consider getting out into the fields to pick strawberries, sinking into a hot tub or cold plunge pool at the Tank Bathhouse, or warming up with a spice blending class at Red Hot Chilli Pepper cooking school. “We use root
vegetables like potato, carrot, and sweet potato because it gives people a chance to really appreciate the flavours,” says Vicki Taylor.
STARGAZING
Winter’s cool, crisp nights and cloud-free skies are ideal for a bit of stargazing. All you need is a blanket, a pillow, and a comfortable spot in the backyard – though a pair of binoculars or telescope are de rigueur for serious stargazers. If you are keen, you can minimise the effects of harsh city lights by escaping to rural or remote areas. In 2019, the Queensland town of Winton became Australia’s first dark sky sanctuary due to its low humidity and low light pollution. Today, it’s cementing that reputation with the opening of the open-air Gondwana Stars Observatory located within the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum. Afterwards, kick back and see how many constellations you can count at the rustic Rangelands Outback Camp located 10 kilometres out of town.
WHALE WATCHING
Whales are associated with compassion, solitude, and creativity. Perhaps that explains all the ‘ohs’ and ‘ahs’ that occur on whale-watching boats as people observe these giants of the deep breaching and slapping the ocean’s surface during their annual migration north. Around the start of winter, humpback, southern right, and rare blue whales make their way along Western Australia’s coastline, leaving the cool southern oceans behind in search of warmer breeding grounds off the north Kimberley coast. There are many prime spots to witness this miracle of nature, including Ningaloo Reef, Broome, and even Margaret River – for those who can’t resist a glass of wine in hand.
Words by Denise Cullen
