Battling the Winter Blues With Kindness
During the holiday season, it’s not uncommon for a spirit of altruism to permeate our daily lives. Kindness and generosity abound. And yet, once the holidays are over, this spirit seems to fade quickly and we are faced with a stretch of dull and dreary winter days. In Minnesota, in particular, winter often lasts well into March, if not April. This long season of snow and cold can bring with it increased feelings of sadness, loneliness, and lack of motivation, often described as the “winter blues.” When considering ways to combat the blues, experts suggest that carrying the spirit of kindness from the holidays through the rest of the winter may give us the additional mood-boost we need to make the winter feel tolerable, if not even enjoyable.
Kindness and the Brain
Think about the last time someone did something really nice for you. Maybe the person in front of you in the drive-thru line paid for your coffee, or maybe someone gave you a sincere compliment about your outfit or your smile. That warm, fuzzy feeling that flooded your body was due to the release of oxytocin, the body’s “feel good” or “love” hormone. Oxytocin is released by the hypothalamus in response to positive connection, physical or emotional, with others. Evolutionarily, humans are predisposed to seek connection with other humans. If our ancient ancestors did not stick together, chances were higher that they would not survive attacks by other humans or animals. Lack of connection would also make early humans more susceptible to the elements and a lack of basic needs, in that there would be no access to the division of labor that is possible in groups. The release of oxytocin as a result of connection with others, through acts of kindness or otherwise, is the biological driver that caused early humans to continue to seek the connections that allowed them to live long enough to pro-create.
Research has suggested that the feel-good oxytocin that is released when others do something kind for us is also released in the same way when we are the one carrying out acts of kindness. In other words, we can give ourselves the warm fuzzies just by doing for others the things that we ourselves would appreciate. Letting someone with fewer items go in front of you in the grocery store? Randomly sending an employee or friend an “I appreciate you” card? Science tells us these acts create just as much joy in us as they do in the recipient.
The Cortisol Connection
If oxytocin is our feel-good hormone, its antagonist would be the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is an important protective element in that the release of this hormone in response to stress triggers a chemical reaction that gives our bodies the energy they need to either stand and fight, or flee from, a stressor. However, when levels of cortisol in our body are too high for too long, these high levels can lead to a host of problems including weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, tiredness, brain fog, and depressed immune system response. It would not be a stretch to suggest that the winter season brings with it many conditions which increase the body’s cortisol production. Increased commute times and dangerous road conditions, increased illnesses for ourselves and our family members, shoveling snow, subjecting our bodies to extreme cold – all of these factors increase the body’s stress response and can increase feelings of frustration, isolation, anxiety, and depressed mood. One of the best ways to keep cortisol levels in check is to focus on activities which bring us peace and a sense of satisfaction, thus reducing stress. By increasing our focus on spreading kindness to others, we increase the feel-good hormone oxytocin and, in turn, lower cortisol levels. Well-managed cortisol levels promote both physical and mental health.
Frequency Matters
Research suggests that, while it feels good to do one random act of kindness, the true benefit from kindness comes from making it a way of life. While one act of kindness increases oxytocin levels temporarily, kindness as a relational philosophy can increase oxytocin levels in a manner consistent enough to impact symptoms of anxiety and depressed mood. In other words, kindness as a way of life throughout the winter months can help ward off, or at least balance out, those winter blues. Its been said that if you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path. In these long, dark, Minnesota days, we would all do well to remember to be lighting lamps as often as we can.