Beat the Winter blues this semester

Looking to beat the winter blues? Don’t worry Thunderwolves we’ve come up with a great list of ways you can keep your mood up this winter despite the cold. 

Take some Vitamin D supplements

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin people mainly get from the sun. Due to the shorter days during the winter many people, especially Canadians, report higher rates of vitamin D deficiency during the winter months compared to many other people around the world. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to:

Aches and stiffness

Poor sleep

Feelings of depression or sadness

Lack of appetite

Feelings of weakness

Getting sick more easily. 

Taking a vitamin D supplement can help avoid these feelings and is a quick and simple way to change your routine for the better.

Try out a new winter activity

Getting active is one of the top recommended ways to quickly and effectively reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Luckily with winter here an entirely new set of activities is available to try out. Though many of these activities require specific equipment there are tons available on resale websites like Kijiji. There are also many businesses that rent out equipment as well.

Ice skating and hockey

Tobogganing and sledding

Don’t have a toboggan? Using a piece of cardboard like a pizza box is an excellent quick alternative for a sled in a pinch.

Skiing and snowboarding

Snowshoeing

Play in the snow

Activities like making snow forts are always fun and free. Gather up some friends and see what you can all come up with.

Check in

When in doubt it never hurts to check in with mental health support and services that are available to you. 

Student Health and Wellness

Lakehead University’s Student Health and Wellness offers free counselling services to all current Lakehead Students. Check out their website for more information on how to book an appointment with your campuses Student Health and Wellness Services.

WeConnect

WeConnect is a service offered to Lakehead University students through WeSpeakStudent. This service offers self directed courses and modules on how to positively impact your mental health. They also provide a number of self assessment tools that can be used to evaluate your behaviours and provide suggested actions, recommendations, and resources based on your answers.

WellUKey

WellUKey is a new service accessible through Lakehead University has students perform a self assessment of their current mental health and provides them with mental health resources that they may find helpful in the future.

Good2Talk

Good2Talk is a free over the phone service that connects young adults with support services specially designed for the needs of students.