When it gets gray and colder outside, it can be tempting to become still and sedentary, snuggled up under a warm blanket, but that’s not usually the best approach for maintaining your mental health. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas for how you can stay active this winter, Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health, in Leland, North Carolina, has some suggestions.
Why You Shouldn’t Just Hibernate
If you find it more difficult to get out of bed or off of the couch in the winter months, you’re not alone. A lot of people find that their energy and motivation suffer in the colder part of the year. Staying active is very important for mental health, however. When you move your body and stimulate your mind regularly, you:
- Keep your mind sharp
- Make it easier to maintain a healthy weight
- Boost your immune function
- Decrease anxiety and depression symptoms
Outdoor Activities
In some parts of the country, winter weather might create barriers to safe outdoor fun due to cold temperatures and heavy snow. Fortunately, the Wilmington area of North Carolina has winters that are milder than many of those places. There are plenty of days, even in the winter, when a person here can enjoy hours of outdoor time, which could include:
- Fishing
- Bicycling
- Walking and hiking
- Visiting state parks
- Stargazing
- Going to the beach
- Having outdoor time with pets
- Touring mysterious local places with interesting stories
- Checking out historic battlefields
- Visiting locations from popular movies filmed in North Carolina
- Going underground in a cavern
- Touring the Wilmington Railroad Museum
- Joining a sports team or league
- Foraging for wild food
- Visiting a farmer’s market
- Geocaching
- Metal detecting
- Volunteering in the outdoors
Indoor Activities
On the days when you want or need to be inside, but also want to get out of the house, there are still plenty of local choices to keep you busy, such as:
- Going to aquariums
- Checking out “haunted” locations
- Visiting an indoor museum
- Going bowling
- Joining a trivia team
- Auditioning for a part in a community theater production
- Touring a historic home
- Going to a bookstore
- Joining a gym, dancing, mall walking, or exercising in some other way
- Finding a role-playing group
- Taking in a live show
- Playing laser tag with friends
- Trying to bust out of an escape room
- Going antiquing
- Getting a massage
- Learning how to code
- Thrifting for great “new to you” items
- Joining a choir
- Scheduling regular coffee dates with a loved one
- Volunteering at a food pantry, animal shelter, nursing home, school, hospital, or library
Staying Busy at Home
If you’re someone who likes to stick around the house, but you’re trying to keep busy with something other than endlessly scrolling on your phone, you could consider picking up a new hobby or revisiting an old one, for example:
- Cooking or baking
- Starting an indoor garden
- Creating an at-home spa
- Tackling a home improvement project
- Learning different food preservation techniques, such as pickling or canning
- Playing board games on your own or hosting a game night
- Learning to play a musical instrument
- Hosting a movie night with friends
- Drawing, painting, photography, jewelry making, or other types of art
- Reading or listening to audiobooks
- Knitting or crocheting
- Writing or journaling
- Building models
- Learning a new language
- Meditating
- Doing yoga or Pilates
- Making soap or candles
- Sewing or quilting
- Trying origami
- Taking an online class
- Backyard birdwatching
- Juggling
- Coloring
- Putting together jigsaw puzzles
- Solving crossword puzzles
- Making homemade gifts
If you’re someone who tends to spend most of your time at home, consider inviting a friend or family member to join you in whatever you’re doing. Human connection is as important for our well-being as staying busy.
At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health, we offer acute psychiatric treatment for adolescents and adults who require inpatient care for conditions including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. We provide evidence-based, individualized, trauma-informed care for each person we serve. We also try to engage families whenever possible, so that they can learn how best to support their loved one during and after their stay in our facility.
