How I beat the winter blues at home with smart tech

While I love snuggling under a blanket and lighting the candles during the long, dark winter months, going into full hibernation mode isn’t an option when life continues apace. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is recognised as a low mood that occurs seasonally – usually starting in autumn and lasting right up until spring arrives. It’s widely believed that this ‘winter depression’ is caused by the reduction in sunlight we experience over the winter months when there are fewer daylight hours.

Luckily I don’t suffer severe symptoms, but I definitely experience a drop in mood, and I have some strategies up my sleeve that I turn to to help keep me positive and productive, whatever the winter weather throws at me.

Shine a light

When the natural light levels dip in autumn and winter, so does my motivation and ‘get and go’ energy. As well as trying to make sure I get outside for a dose of natural light even on the most dull and dreary winter days, I also use the lighting in my house to optimise my positivity. I have an app on my smartphone to set up different lighting zones – these are controlled by smart plugs, and I use voice commands on my smart speaker to switch them on or off.

I’m also looking to invest in smart bulbs so that as well as the light levels, I can also adjust the colour of the light. Orange is known to energise the body, whereas green acts as a relaxant to calm you down. If you do suffer from SAD, white light stimulates the production of serotonin to give you energy. I have a SAD lamp in my office to help me when the light falls in the afternoon.

Ramp up the volume

Music makes me happy, so if I’m stressed or I need to tackle a job that I don’t love (hello, cleaning the kitchen!) I've got a go-to playlist of songs that make me smile lined up ready to go. This good mood can increase serotonin production to help the happy hit last well past the end of the song. All I have to do is ask my smart speaker to play my ‘happy songs playlist’, and the feelgood vibes help me power through the task at hand. And music isn’t the only mood-setting option – if it’s anxiety-relief, wind-down or focus time you’re after, try getting your speaker to play relaxing sounds such as rainfall, or birdsong.

Positive screentime

One of the bad habits I’m trying to kick this winter is hours spent mindlessly watching TV. While there’s nothing wrong with a boxset binge or an at-home movie night (and there was no way I was missing out on Traitors, obviously!), I’m aware that I could often be using my evenings doing something more productive that will boost my happy hormone levels, and set me up for a better night’s sleep.

I’ve introduced yoga into my evening routine, but I don’t want to leave the house to go to a class, so I stream sessions via YouTube on my TV. There’s a host of other workout options to choose from, whether you’re after the endorphin high of a HITT class, or some pilates stretching to balance you out after a day sat at your desk and with EE Wifi 7 you can be confident you can work out without any interruptions thanks to with strong and reliable Wi-Fi.

Set reminders

I’ve got into a good habit of doing a sleep meditation when I go to bed, but I’m useless at remembering to fit one into my day. I’ve set reminders so that my smart speaker gives me a prompt to meditate during the day too. Meditation is widely known to have great wellness benefits, including reducing stress. It’s a great way to reset and has been shown to increase dopamine production. I always find my mind is more focused afterwards, which is perfect when I have a lot of tasks to tick off my to-do list.

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