10 tips for staying happy and healthy this winter

1. Slow down your rhythm

🌅 When daylight decreases, your nervous system receives a clear message to reduce output and increase recovery. Melatonin secretion rises earlier in the evening, and metabolic processes subtly shift.

Trying to maintain summer level productivity in winter is like revving an engine while the oil is cold. Accepting slower phases, sleeping a little longer, and reducing unnecessary stress allows the body to redirect energy towards immune surveillance, tissue repair, and hormonal balance.

2. Train for flexibility, not exhaustion

🧘🏼‍♂️ Movement remains essential in winter, but its purpose changes. Instead of pushing for maximum performance, the goal becomes adaptability.

Activities that combine gentle strength, balance, mobility, and endurance, such as walking, swimming, yoga, or light resistance training, support circulation and immune function without overwhelming the stress response. Chronic overtraining, particularly in colder months, has been shown to suppress immune defences and increase susceptibility to infections. In winter, movement should leave you feeling warmer and more awake, not depleted.

3. Support immunity the smart way

💊 Supplementation can be helpful, but only when it is targeted. Randomly taking high dose vitamins is rarely beneficial and can sometimes be counterproductive.

Blood testing allows you to assess levels of nutrients commonly affected in winter, such as vitamin D, B vitamins, iron, and omega 3 fatty acids. Research consistently shows that correcting deficiencies improves resilience to infections, whereas unnecessary supplementation offers little added benefit. Supplementation should be approached like fine tuning, not guesswork.

4. Follow the golden plate ratio

🍛 One simple nutritional principle holds up remarkably well across cultures and seasons: vegetables should dominate the plate. Prioritising vegetables dressed in high quality fats helps stabilise blood sugar and supports gut bacteria that produce anti-inflammatory compounds. Carbohydrates are not the enemy, but in winter they are better tolerated when balanced by fibre, protein, and healthy fats. A colourful plate is a reliable marker of micronutrient diversity.

5. Eat for true hunger, not winter boredom

🍴 In darker months, low mood and fatigue are often misinterpreted as hunger. Eating in response to emotional signals rather than physical need can overload digestion and disrupt metabolic rhythms.

True hunger tends to build gradually and is accompanied by physical sensations. Eating slowly and stopping before complete fullness preserves digestive energy, which is particularly valuable in winter when immune demands are higher.

6. Use the reset button after excess

🔋 Festive and celebratory meals are part of social life and should not be a source of guilt. What matters more is how the body is supported afterwards.

A 24-hour pause with light soups or gentle fasting allows blood sugar, inflammatory markers, and digestive enzymes to normalise. Research shows that short fasting periods can reduce post meal inflammation and improve metabolic flexibility.

Resetting is more effective, natural, and intuitive than chronic restriction.

7. Make sleep predictable

🛌 Sleep quality depends as much on when you sleep as on how long you sleep. Going to bed at the same time each night helps anchor your internal clock, allowing the body to enter deep, restorative sleep more efficiently.

Regular sleep timing has been linked to stronger immune function and more stable blood sugar control. In winter, when darkness increases and energy naturally shifts inward, sleep should be treated as a biological priority rather than something squeezed in after everything else.

8. Respect your internal clock

⏰ Evenings should be a time to unwind rather than stimulate. Bright artificial light, heavy meals, and prolonged screen exposure delay melatonin release and disrupt the structure of sleep.

Dimming lights after sunset, eating lighter evening meals, and avoiding screens in the final hour before bed help the brain transition naturally into rest mode. Light, in particular, is one of the strongest regulators of human biology. It can easily overpower intention, which is why working with it, rather than against it, makes rest far more effective.

9. Chase daylight and connection

💡 In the same vein, natural light exposure remains one of the most powerful regulators of mood and circadian rhythm. Even on overcast days, outdoor light far exceeds indoor illumination and helps anchor the body’s internal clock.

Equally important is social connection. Research consistently shows that loneliness is associated with higher inflammatory markers and weaker immune responses. Meaningful contact, whether through conversation, shared meals, or quiet companionship, supports both psychological and physical resilience.

Bringing these together, a simple walk outdoors, whatever the weather, with a friend or family member may be one of the most effective health strategies available, and it costs nothing at all.

10. Design your environment for change

❄️ As shared recently by our clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Green, sustainable change rarely comes from trying to change everything at once. It is far more effective to focus on changes that are specific, manageable, and easy to repeat. Equally important is recognising the role of environment. Old habits are often triggered by familiar contexts, work pressure, social routines, or end of day fatigue.

Planning simple substitutions in advance, such as tea instead of alcohol, a short walk instead of snacking, or conversation instead of distraction, helps new patterns take hold when everyday life resumes its usual pace.

Winter should not be a test of willpower. It is a season for designing conditions that make healthier choices easier. How you organise these months will influence how optimised you feel when spring arrives.