A Guide to Fighting the Winter Blahs

Outreach APW
5 days ago
3 min read

January and February can be rough. These months are "the time of the year when respiratory diseases are common, the day is shorter, the weather conditions are worse, and...people are burdened with guilt about whether they will achieve their New Year’s resolutions.¹" It's no surprise, then, that this stretch can feel never-ending, especially for new parents. To help you ward off winter gloom, we're offering some tips on how to "survive" these colder months until the crocuses and daffodils—those first signs of spring—show their faces.

Build Your Community

Being stuck at home with a baby or toddler can be extremely isolating, especially if you are a single parent or your partner works outside the home. Hours without talking to another adult coupled with grey days can impact mental wellness. That's why social interaction is so vital—not only does it enable your little one to build important skills, it also enables you to build a network of support. Luckily, mom groups—whether for socialization, educational resources, emotional support, or all three—are increasingly common. We've curated a list (and certainly it's not exhaustive) for you of groups in the Triangle area of NC.

Triangle groups focused

on emotional support/education

Triangle groups focused

on socialization

While some groups do require a membership, you can also build your own group through neighborhood listservs or apps like Nextdoor. We've created a template you can copy and paste in case you don't have the bandwidth right now to write a message!

Click for template

The Swap

If you are feeling extra ambitious, you might even schedule "swaps" with moms you trust. Have one mom take both babies for an hour or two, so you can get some solo time and then swap. The result? Each parent gets a break. Whew.

Get Outside

Yes, we know it might be cold, but getting outside is shown via research to have benefits in decreasing symptoms of depression and anxiety. So, pull out those gloves, hats, and boots and bundle up! (Or if you're in NC and it's one of those rare 70 degree days in January, stop reading now and go bask in the sun!)

One study focused specifically on "green and blue spaces" (in short, trees and water) showed that "greater greenness and shorter distance to water bodies were associated with overall lower depression symptoms during the perinatal period²." This is great news if you are in the Triangle area—Eno River State Park and William B. Umstead State Park provide extensive networks of hiking trails. You might even schedule outdoor time. Look ahead at the week's weather, choose the day when the weather will be the best, and make an intentional commitment to get outside that day.

Plan Ahead

Speaking of planning, sometimes the sole prospect of an upcoming event is enough to boost your mood. Having "stuff" on the calendar—a spring break beach trip, a weekend with friends and their kids, or even a low-key date night with your partner—can have concrete benefits. One study focused on the impact of anticipation found that looking forward to fun events was a "powerful way to induce positive emotion, which in turn improves stress coping.³"

Whatever tool you use to help you navigate the cold winter months, brighter days are on their way—literally and figuratively—and if the days start to feel too tough, contact us. We are here to help.

References

¹Botica, A., Baković, M., Strikić, M., Delić, A., & Glavina, T. (2024). The peak of the ‘Blue Monday’ depression and winter blues. European Psychiatry, 67, S529. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.1099

²Singh, S., Van de Wouw, M., Tomfohr-Madsen, L., Lebel, C., & Giesbrecht, G. F. (2025). The role of green and blue spaces in perinatal maternal mental health outcomes during the transition to parenthood. Environment International, 201, Article 109572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109572

³Luo, Y., Chen, X., Qi, S., You, X., & Huang, X. (2018). Well-being and Anticipation for Future Positive Events: Evidences from an fMRI Study. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 2199. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02199

Written by Bridget Bell

Reviewed by Veronica Kemeny, LCSW, PMH-C

Playgroup Template

Hi everyone—I’m gauging interest in starting a small, casual playdate group for new moms and babies, with meetups hosted at rotating homes. The goal would be to create a supportive, low-key space to connect, share the early months of parenting, and build community.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please reply and let me know. I’d love to see if there’s enough interest to get something started.