Beat the winter blues by seeking the light.

For the past few years I have coped with winter by hibernating, hiding indoors until the weather turns for the better, however I found this affected me both mentally and physically, increased pain, tiredness and a feeling of sadness.

This year I started to wonder how people in Scandinavian countries coped with the long and sometimes never ending darkness. I found they have several rituals that help them cope.

One of these is to seek the light. Using candles and fairy lights to give their homes a cosy and warm feel. Lights in shops, bars and restaurants are left up for longer than in the UK.

One of my favourite things to do is walk in nature. In the summer I do this everyday, but in the winter it is more difficult to walk in woods or nature reserves during the dark evenings, although I may try this with a headlamp in time. I generally don't like to walk in the town, I dislike traffic immensely. However, before Christmas I started to walk in the town seeking Christmas lights, which I really enjoyed and made walking in the town much more enjoyable. Unfortunately everyone seems to be in a hurry to remove Christmas lights, so this is more difficult in January.

If you are finding the winter evenings difficult at this time of year, try putting some of your Christmas lights up. Traditionally they would be left until Candlemas in February, let's all start this tradition again!

Try lighting some candles in the evening and see if it makes you feel a little bit lighter, and maybe go for a walk to spot the lights that have been left up during January.