At Sanford Behavioral Health, we embrace winter with robust excursions in nature. In fact, it is a part of our evidence-based practices to get outside and experience a Michigan winter in all its splendor. Yes, it can be gloomy...
Gotta’ love snow if you live in Michigan!
At Sanford Behavioral Health, we embrace winter with robust excursions in nature. In fact, it is a part of our evidence-based practices to get outside and experience a Michigan winter in all its splendor. Yes, it can be gloomy and cold. And we are well aware of seasonal affective disorder and the depression that can manifest when the days are shortening, and the skies are foreboding. There is a saying in Michigan – there is no bad weather, only bad clothing choices. But if you bundle up with a positive attitude, wintertime can provide a mental and physical health bonus.
Wintertime Mental Health Bonus
We have assembled three of our most popular articles about the health benefits of a Michigan Winter. Curl under a lap blanket or in front of a fire, and enjoy the wintertime mental health bonus!
10 Reasons a Michigan Winter is Good for Your Health!
3.2K SHARES
We have had a gloomy start to the year in Michigan. The sun shined for five minutes in the first eight days of January 2023. Since then, it has been all grey skies and puddles threatening to turn to black ice. So why, you ask, is this woman writing an article about the health benefits of a Michigan winter? I wrote the original love note to winter in 2017, and I update it each year to remind me that a Michigan winter is a test of one’s mettle but also good for physical and mental health! [Read More…]
101 Sober Things to Do to Beat the Winter Blues
1.2K SHARES
Are you feeling the winter blues? There are many wonderful things about living in Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan. But, and there is a but, the winters are long. Many of the awesome things to do are currently buried beneath a crazy quilt of variations on the color white. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real issue when the days are short and the sky is gray. And after another year of tiptoeing around Covid 19 and the flu, even Michiganders need inspiration to keep the winter doldrums at bay. Live in warmer climes? Many of these ideas will work wherever you live. [Read More…]
Awe Walks for Mental Health
1.7K SHARES
I am a self-described, often awestruck, nature nerd. I have written about the joys of Michigan winter in late February (when most Michiganders are tolerating the dreary days until spring). Other topics I have covered are finding joy during the pandemic, how a $75 blowup kayak can change your life, and the mental health benefit of gratitude walks. As a person in recovery, experiencing nature with childlike wonder has been a mainstay of my ten-year sobriety. Recently, I have turned my attention to awe walks and what can happen when you take time to be wowed. (And a Michigan winter is awesome!) [Read More…]
Our Advice at Sanford Behavioral Health
It’s wintertime in Michigan. Our advice is to stop complaining, wear layers, and find your winter passion. You might not enjoy hiking up frozen dunes in a maelstrom, but there is something for everyone to experience this winter. To experience means “encountering something, to undergo or feel.” Winter is not just the period to endure before spring. It has its own majesty. Feel its physical and mental health bonus.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, eating disorders, or co-occurring mental health conditions, don’t wait to change your life – click the link below and get in touch today.
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