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Yielding to Winter Blahs Challenged

Niagara Health pyschiatrist encourages activity, stay away from phone scrolling

There's no doubt this type of weather CAN be challenging for some to stay motivated, and not want to hibernate all the time.

A Psychiatrist at Niagara Health, Dr. Neeraj Shukla, says this is when travel companies try to get people moving, to help fight that low energy and feeling down.

He adds it's important to distinguish between this and real mental health problems.  "It's normal to have a little bit of low energy, especially when it gets dark earlier, and you don't feel like leaving the house after work.  Once you notice a drop in your work performance, school or socialization, that's when you want to address it."

He stresses little victories such as the gym one day a week, instead of struggling many days a week.

He says to push yourself to start, and the momentum can pick up.  "Just some kind of activity that you look forward to doing once or twice a week, including socialization, in person, as opposed to doom scrolling on your phone most of the evening."

He says the Canadian Mental Health Association offers free time limited councilling, that benefits can cover.

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