Winter can creep up quietly. One day, the evenings are shorter, and suddenly it’s dark before the day feels finished.
Energy dips, motivation fades, and even small tasks can feel heavier than usual.
For many people, the shift into winter affects their mood more than expected. Feeling flat, tired, or disconnected during the colder months is common, and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you.
If you’re looking for gentle ways to support your mental health in winter and ease the winter blues, this guide shares simple, realistic tips to help you feel steadier through the darker months.
Why Does Winter Make Me Sad?
Feeling low in winter is common, and it often comes down to less daylight and a change in routine.
Shorter days can disrupt your circadian rhythm, increase melatonin so you feel more tired, and lower serotonin, which can affect your mood.
Cold weather also keeps people indoors, moving less and seeing others less often, which can add to low mood in winter.
Add in seasonal stress like illness, finances, and end-of-year pressure, and winter can feel heavier than expected.
For some people, it’s mild. For others, it can tip into seasonal affective disorder.
Understanding the cause helps you choose the right support and boost your mood in winter more effectively.
10 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues
Small, consistent changes can make a real difference to how you feel during winter, especially when they focus on light, movement, nourishment, rest, and connection.
1. Take a Vitamin D Supplement
Vitamin D plays an important role in mental health during winter, supporting mood, energy levels, and immune function.
In the UK, reduced sunlight during the colder months makes it difficult to get enough vitamin D from food alone.
Around 1 in 6 adults is thought to have low vitamin D levels. Common signs can include persistent tiredness, frequent illness, and changes in hair growth, as low levels may affect cell turnover in hair follicles.
If you notice low energy or feel run-down during winter, a vitamin D supplement may help support your mental health.
When choosing a supplement, it’s important to check ingredient quality, as many products contain minimal active ingredients.
Our liquid collagen supplement includes vitamin D without unnecessary fillers, making it an easy way to support your intake during the darker months.
2. Consider Other Supportive Supplements
Alongside vitamin D, other supplements can help support wellbeing during winter, particularly when mood, energy, hormones, and skin feel harder to manage.
Our range can help ease some of the physical and emotional strain winter can place on the body.
Arella Pause
Arella Pause is designed to support women in perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause, when winter can intensify symptoms such as low mood, poor sleep, brain fog, and temperature changes.
Ingredients like sage and red clover support hormonal balance, while pine bark extract provides antioxidant support linked to improved mood and overall wellbeing.
Cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar, supporting steadier energy levels, and vitamin E contributes to hormone balance and sleep quality. Biotin supports hair health during hormonal transitions.
Arella Collagen
Arella Collagen supports skin, hair, joints, and overall wellbeing, all of which can feel the effects of colder weather.
Panax ginseng and retinol (vitamin A) support collagen production and skin renewal, while vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis and antioxidant protection.
Niacin (vitamin B3) supports energy metabolism and helps reduce fatigue, biotin supports hair and skin health, and hyaluronic acid helps maintain skin hydration and joint comfort during winter dryness.
Arella Skin Gummies
Arella Skin Gummies focus on skin support during winter, when cold air and indoor heating can disrupt the skin barrier.
Sea buckthorn extract provides omega fatty acids that support hydration and elasticity, while vitamins C and E offer antioxidant protection.
Zinc supports skin healing and oil balance, broccoli sprout extract supports hormone-related skin changes, and inulin supports the gut–skin connection.
3. Go Outside When It’s Still Light
Many of us turn into vampires over winter, avoiding fresh air at all costs and favouring blankets and endless coffees.
And while we love a chunky knit throw, if you want to beat the winter blues, it’s crucial to get natural light.
The perfect time to emerge from your house or the office is after lunch. Your circadian rhythm has a natural slump in the afternoon. So, make a steaming cup of coffee and energise yourself by walking outside for as little as five minutes.
Walking gets your blood moving, circulating oxygen, giving you more energy, and boosting your mood.
The light gives you a dose of vitamin D, increasing your happy hormones so you feel less sad in winter.
If getting outside during daylight hours feels difficult due to work, weather, or energy levels, a daylight lamp can be a useful alternative.
These lamps are designed to mimic natural daylight and may help support mood and energy levels when sunlight is limited.
4. Nourish Your Body
Low mood in winter often comes with fatigue and cravings for quick comfort foods.
Sugary snacks can give a short-lived dopamine boost, but they also cause sharp spikes and drops in blood sugar, which can leave you feeling irritable, drained, and low shortly after.
Supporting your mental health in winter means nourishing your body in a way that provides steady energy throughout the day.
Balanced meals that include protein, fibre, and healthy fats help stabilise blood sugar and support consistent mood and focus.
Warm, nourishing foods can also support digestion and help you feel more satisfied, making it easier to avoid the energy crashes that can deepen winter sadness.
5. Engage in Gentle Exercise
Instead of pushing your body through intense workouts during winter, gentle movement can be far more supportive.
Activities such as winter walks, yin yoga, or light stretching help improve circulation, ease tension, and lift mood without adding extra stress.
Even a few minutes of movement in the morning or early afternoon can help reset energy levels and support mental health in winter, especially on darker days.
6. Protect Your Sleep Routine
Shorter days and darker mornings can easily disrupt sleep during winter. Late nights, screen time, and irregular routines may feel comforting, but poor sleep is closely linked to low mood and anxiety.
Keeping a consistent bedtime and wake-up time helps regulate your circadian rhythm and supports mood stability.
Simple habits like dimming lights in the evening, limiting caffeine later in the day, and allowing time to wind down can improve sleep quality and help you feel more balanced through the colder months.
7. Embrace Slow-Living
Winter was traditionally a time of rest. With shorter days and colder temperatures, nature slows down, and historically, this was a period for recovery rather than constant activity.
Modern life often ignores this shift, with artificial lighting and busy schedules pushing us to maintain the same pace year-round.
Over time, this can lead to exhaustion, lowered immunity, and a deeper sense of low mood in winter.
Instead of carrying summer’s energy into the colder months, taking winter as a cue to ease back can be supportive.
Slowing down does not mean stopping altogether. It means prioritising rest, being more selective with commitments, and allowing yourself more recovery time, which can make winter feel easier to manage.
8. Remember to Socialise
Although winter encourages rest, it’s important not to withdraw completely.
Spending time with others during the darker months helps reduce loneliness, lifts mood, and creates a sense of connection.
Socialising does not need to be frequent or exhausting. Focus on meaningful, low-pressure meet-ups that feel supportive rather than draining.
Here are some of our favourite ways to stay social during the colder months:
● Meet at a coffee shop or pub - Go to the social hubs of coffee shops and pubs to have a drink and chat.
● Have dinner together - Invite your favourite people over for a cosy meal.
● Set up a film night - If you don’t feel like talking much, but want some company, invite people over to sit in comfortable silence and watch your favourite films with hot chocolate and popcorn.
9. Journal Your Thoughts
Winter can be a useful time for reflection, and journalling offers a simple way to process thoughts and emotions.
Writing things down can help you recognise patterns, release negative thinking, and create a sense of perspective.
You might journal about what you’re looking forward to, what feels challenging, or small things you feel grateful for each day.
Even a few minutes of reflection can help steady your mood and support your mental health in winter.
We’ve crafted a daily self-care journal with gentle guidance - it’s perfect for supporting you through those long, winter days
10. Practice Self-care
It’s easy to slip into passive habits during winter, such as scrolling on your phone or watching TV for hours, but intentional self-care can be far more supportive for your mental health.
Self-care does not need to be elaborate or time-consuming. Simple actions like taking a warm bath, reading, or spending time on a calming hobby can help you slow down and reset, especially on darker days.
Creating a consistent skincare routine can also be a powerful form of daily self-care.
Use your favourite, nourishing serums and moisturiser alongside a gua shu to support your skin health.
After taking a shower or bath, reconnect with your body and support circulation with body brushing, finishing with a hydrating body lotion or body butter.
Taking a few minutes each day for these small rituals creates a moment of pause and encourages a more mindful relationship with yourself.
Tackle Winter Sadness with Arella
Winter can take a quiet toll on mental health. Feeling flatter, more tired, or less motivated during the darker months is common, and it does not mean you are failing or doing anything wrong.
Small, supportive changes often make the biggest difference. Gentle routines, light exposure, rest, nourishment, and connection all help support emotional balance during winter.
Supplements can also play a role, particularly when reduced daylight and colder weather place extra strain on the body. View our full range of supportive supplements here.
Winter does not need to be something you simply endure. With the right support, it can become a time of steadiness, care, and recovery.
