The Winter Brain

Your Brain Needs Renovation

By Amy Barr with The Lukeion Project

The modern world has provided even average people countless luxuries. We have light and climate control on command. We have entertainment at the push of a button. We have food available when we like with very little effort involved plus all the benefits of easy chilling, heating, and preparation or even delivery. Any kind of food is available year-round with little thought about what is in season and when it tastes best. Clothes are washed and dried at the press of a button. What we do in an average week would be unimaginable 75 or 100 years ago, but would our ancestors consider us more, or less, fortunate for all our innovation? Riddled with issues like anxiety and depression, I’d say we’ve missed out on a few things that used to be normal.

Before our days could be extended by turning on lights and our food ready the instant we are, we were governed by the seasons and natural changes that used to program our behavior throughout the year. Warmer months offered physical exertion and longer days to grow and prepare food that would need to last all year or firewood that would keep us well later in the season.  Colder months used to let us regain our physical balance while we had the chance to use our brains differently. Winter used to be the season for restoration.

While we can’t go back to the days before electricity offered the luxuries we have today (nor would most of us want to), we can go out of our way to find a few ways to restore ourselves and our winter brains. Here are four things you can do in the winter months to help yourself regain equilibrium plus mental calm and health.

Sleep on a Consistent Schedule

When enjoying some days off in the winter months, have you ever spent several days in a row up late as you tried out the newest released game or “binge” watching some favorite show? Maybe you are finally going to get the chance to read that new release or perhaps you’d like to watch all 12+ hours of some movie series! Fun…right? Here’s a tip. If you have the chance for activities that make you happy, still stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Just swinging back and forth between late nights and even later mornings and then back again as your schedule dictates will increase feelings of unease. Your body and brain really appreciate regularity so, if anything, add more sleep to your schedule instead of less.

Even very poor families who struggled for resources looked forward to the part of the year when physical labor was diminished and, due to weather changes, people needed to attend to tasks inside. While you might “make hay while the sun shines” all summer long, you looked forward to relatively effortless winter hours when you could put on a pot of food to simmer and then enjoy a nice power-nap before dinner. Naps are now a rarity as our every minute is scheduled. That’s why the winter brain craves them. Find a good spot and snooze when you can.   

Mindless Tasks and Manual Chores

Winter is the right time to address mindless tasks. It used to be the best time to mend broken items, craft items (wood, knitting, sewing), or read a favorite book. Most of these chores were communal. Mimic such times today by picking mindless tasks and inviting a friend or family member to join in. Settle in to make, cook, craft, read, paint, play music, or whatever could be done while you caught up with the thoughts and jokes of those you love.  Want to learn a new instrument or clean your room? Maybe your chess skills need brushing up or your violin needs extra practice. Maybe you have a group of friends who want to hang out, get a bit festive with them and cook dinner together from scratch and laugh at or (better) love the results. Winter is the right time for mindless tasks and manual chores but there’s no need for dread. These can be quite pleasant plus they keep you inside off icy streets if you get them!

Most importantly, don’t resort to the easiest time wasters like movies, games, or scrolling online. If you don’t already limit your screen time (or if you resent those that try to do on your behalf), give it a try. If you’ve let yourself get too habituated on phone or tablet time, it will be a big struggle at first to give it up. Most of us are addicted and it isn’t pretty. Track how much time you spend on the blue screens for a regular day in your schedule before you dial it back. You’ll probably be shocked unless you and your family have had the good sense to never get hooked.

Almost a third of Americans are online or on a blue screen full time from the moment they wake up until the minute their tired hand drops their phones as they fall asleep at night.  The percentage of “constantly connected” is nearly half of our population if we only count people under age 50. Getting screen time down to something more manageable (something more like an hour instead of 16 hours) will be a major battle but, for the sake of your mental health, I strongly recommend it. Screens won’t go away without a fight so look for ways to walk away from technology by leaving phones, tablets, and televisions far away from your temptation zone. Start by sitting at a table for dinner with no television going. If you have other family members willing to cut back screens, stack any phones or devices in another room and then just talk. I guarantee you’ll start to feel better if you normally just stare at a screen while you chew.

Don’t Neglect Going Outside

If you live somewhere that gets cold or wet during the winter months, don’t use that as an excuse to hole up in your hidey-hole for several months. Your winter brain needs light (especially early morning and late afternoon) and fresh air. Besides, your dog needs a walk, your friend needs a visit, and your health needs you to move and breathe. If you are fortunate, you’ll even get to do something that is seasonally unique. When I was young, we didn’t have the money for anything too formal, but I lived near the Rocky Mountains. We’d find somebody willing to drive us and then we’d blow up some innertubes (those rubbery things that used to go in every car tire) and shoot down snowy mountains with reckless abandon. Sure, we’d have a few bruises and even a little sunburn as we’d crawl home soggy and cold after dark, but we’d sleep perfectly for a week afterwards.

Cook and Eat Well

I’m a big advocate of eating with the seasons. Winter is about restoring our bodies with soups, broths, root veggies, slow cooked winter greens, and anything else that is available this time of year. Most modern people have no idea what’s still growing this time of year or why we should often limit ourselves to such local things, but a little garden plot will soon help you learn.  Even as I type I think about my own patch of winter carrots, kale, sweet potatoes, and crunchy greens along with other foods I’ve grown or fostered. Our bodies appreciate the nourishing wealth of slowly cooked food in the winter months while it is cozy to run an oven for long periods or simmer something in a big pot. Find a good cookbook and learn how to make these tasty but humble winter items that are true to you (and your family’s) tastebuds and preferences.

Winter, if done well, should nourish and restore our bodies and brains. We have much to do. Feed your winter brain well with all these healing habits.You'll find that everything--from mental acuity, academic excellence, and social acumen--will all improve with a bit of winter rest.