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As winter sets in, you may want to stay at home, you experience temporary fatigue and mood swings. According to Professor Michel Lejoyeux, head of the psychiatric department at the Bichat hospital in Paris, and author of Reveal your super powers (published in The Pocketbook), these are the signs of a winter depression. Distinct from depression, it is a sign that one is in good health.
"Depressive illness, which is manifested by a loss of desire, guilt, prolonged fatigue, is a disease that must be recognized, treated and consulted," he says. Depression differs from depression, which is not in the field of medicine but in the realm of emotion. "The weather is gray, it's cold, you do not want to go out, you're a little tired: this emotion is not pathological, it's even a good sign.When you are sometimes in a better mood and sometimes a little less cheerful, it's a sign that you're just a normal human being, only robots who are happy and happy all the time. " To combat this feeling of sadness or irritability, however, we can apply some tips.
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Favor a positive environment
Professor Michel Lejoyeux is convinced: the good mood is contagious. "Italian scientists have recorded the brain activity of monkeys and found that when they ate, their brain areas that determine swallowing are stimulated, which means that when you are in a supportive and positive environment, a contagion develops, "says the psychiatrist. "Conversely, if we are surrounded by sad people, this emotional contagion can be done in the mode of sadness."
Contemplating works of art and ...
To be happy, beauty can be useful to us, thanks to the stimulation of certain areas of our brain. In this case, "you live the moment, in full awareness, and you stimulate the brain zone of aesthetics," says the professor.
... pictures of loved ones
Another amazing case: when we look at photos of relatives. "When we see photos of people we care about, we will also stimulate all those brain areas that will trigger a good mood," he says.
Move and go
It has been said for a long time: to be well, one would have to do cerebral gymnastic exercises. But for Professor Michel Lejoyeux, this method is inefficient, unlike the practice of physical activity. "Walking six minutes in the cold increases the heart rate by 30%, as does the level of well-being," says the teacher. So, how does physical activity affect our good mood? Thanks to a "magic molecule growth factor neurons", answers Professor Michel Lejoyeux. Total sedentarity is therefore to be banned. "When nothing makes us move, when it's gray, the weather is wet or cold, we must still keep this super power of movement," advises the psychiatrist.
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Avoid raclette and bourguignon beef
A healthy diet is the key to feeling good, it's more to prove. Professor Michel Lejoyeux recommends "eating according to the energy you spend". A diet that is sometimes not the most adopted in winter, season of raclette and fondue. "Generally, we spend a little less winter, so let's get rid of the myth that you have to take a lot of sugar and fat," says the psychiatrist, who recalls that "eating habits determine cardiovascular health and emotional health" .
The doctor also advises to favor gherkins, sauerkraut and yoghurt, and more generally, all foods that work the digestive tract. "People who have a healthy diet, who eat those foods that work the digestive tract, generally have lower levels of anxiety and depression," says the psychiatrist, who does not believe in "food medications". "Let's be careful not to open a jar of gherkins as we would open a box of antidepressants!" He warns.
Stop sugar shoots
And if sugar favored a sedentary lifestyle? Professor Michel Lejoyeux firmly believes in it. "If you give a very rich sugar diet to laboratory animals, they will lose their ability to move from one activity to another," says the professor. "We can take a little, but stop sugar shoots, especially in winter, especially if it is in a context of sedentary lifestyle."
Drink hot drinks
It is a very simple and intuitive gesture and it could, in addition, have a good impact on the mood. "Making a mindful experience in front of a tea that we are going to focus on, taking the time to prepare it, drinking it gently, will make you feel a good mood," says the professor. "Holding a hot drink causes vasodilatation of the fingers, which sends a positive message to the brain," he adds.
Listen to music
The music is not to neglect to be in a good mood, but under certain conditions. "You have to listen to music that you like, rather in the evening and rather relaxed physically," advocates Professor Michel Lejoyeux. It's about "giving yourself five to ten minutes and focusing on the moment," he said. To give an account of this, it is based on a concrete example: "if you eat ice cream at the same time as you listen to pleasant music, you will have the impression that your ice cream is sweeter than when you listen to music that you do not like . "
Surround yourself with greenery
For city dwellers, it is better to live near a park or a forest, according to Professor Lejoyeux, to be happy. This is explained by "a neurobiological effect of colors that will have an emotional stimulation effect". "Even in winter, we look at the sky and these colors of nature that will send a positive message to the brain," advises the psychiatrist.
Go to the sauna or steam room
A little heat could also put us in a good mood. "A study, which has just been released in an excellent North American journal but which needs to be confirmed, shows that thirty minutes of heat have an effect equivalent to antidepressants on mood, including in depressed individuals," reports the report. Professor Lejoyeux. Nothing prevents us from offering hot moments that will help us to resist the gloom of autumn and winter.