June 27, 2017 

Remedies for Winter Blues !

Charles Marceau-Cotton – member of La Cité Écologique since 2015

“With just over a year of life at La Cité Écologique, I’m still the new guy around here! Stepping into such a community—and more importantly, choosing to settle here—comes with its share of beautiful moments, but also a variety of challenges. Through these texts, I’d like to share my views on different aspects of community life and personal observations about the gap that sometimes exists between mainstream society and the ecovillage.”

For most of my life, I lived in cities or suburbs. Like many people in similar situations, winter was often a source of frustration and gloom. “If only our winters were shorter!” “If only they were less harsh!” “If only winter didn’t make transportation so difficult!” I’ve heard these complaints countless times—and said them myself! Not long ago, my father confessed that at the start of every winter, he would slip into a mild seasonal depression: a drop in energy, a desire to hibernate and wake only at the dawn of summer. Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit, but it still sums up what many of us feel during the dead season. I had come to accept this feeling as a kind of genetic fate—“If my father feels this way, how could I feel any different?!”

But being young and idealistic, I refused to surrender to this idea of inevitability. “What could I possibly do to counter this dreadful invention?” I wondered. In a flash of genius, I bought a bargain-priced plane ticket to Guadalajara, Mexico! Not a one-week trip, nor even two—but a one-way ticket! That journey ended up lasting two winters and, through various experiences on ecological farms, allowed me to soak up the warm sun and finally appreciate the winter season. It was great while it lasted, as you can easily imagine. But youth fades, and reality eventually comes calling. I’ve now been back in Quebec for two winters… and aside from the transition, I can say with conviction that I’ve had the two most beautiful winters of my life—and I’ve learned to appreciate what Mother Nature offers us here in Quebec!

How did I come to appreciate winter? And how might I help you enjoy it more? First of all, I should mention that I now live in the countryside—at La Cité Écologique, to be precise. Being surrounded by nature plays a big role in the newfound spark between winter and me. Numerous studies have shown that “nature gives the conscious brain a rest, restores attention, and reduces anxiety” (Dr. Melissa Lem). Whether for a few minutes or a few days, nature offers a break from our overloaded routines and helps us appreciate the beauty and simplicity of life. It’s something we often forget or neglect these days. New studies even suggest that spending time in nature is more beneficial than exercising.

And while we’re outside, why not fully embrace it? When I lived in the city, I often stayed cooped up in my cocoon, claiming it was too cold, too slippery, or that there was nothing interesting to do outside. Yet today, “playing” outdoors is a joy and part of my daily balance. I was never a jogger—especially not in winter—but now I love running almost daily on the snowy trails around our land. Or I’ll strap on snowshoes and get lost in the forest, by day… or by night, with a group from the community, descending a snowy hillside lined with fir trees, lit by our headlamps or the full moon. Or why not play a game of hockey or broomball? You might say, “That’s all well and good, but you have to live in nature to do that.” It’s certainly more enjoyable, I’ll admit. But for most people, it’s not that hard to find a bit of nature nearby—a mountain, a park, a riverbank, a green neighborhood.

Spending time outdoors in winter—whether contemplatively or through activity or sport—brings another highly beneficial effect: it provides our bodies with their main source of vitamin D, through sunlight. Often overlooked, more and more studies show its vital role for both body and brain. In addition to regulating calcium and phosphorus levels, it may play a role in cognitive and neurodegenerative diseases (dementia, Alzheimer’s), diabetes, sleep disorders, certain types of cancer, and more (Dr. Gaétan Brouillard, La santé repensée). Recent studies have shown that a high percentage of North Americans currently suffer from vitamin D deficiency. A friend’s anecdote illustrated this perfectly: back in the day, to punish a child, parents would tell them to come inside and go to their room; today, punishment means sending a child outside to play! Few people know this, but 95% of our vitamin D reserves come from the sun—food contains very little naturally. And since winter days are shorter, if we don’t stick our noses outside for a few minutes each day, we deprive ourselves of our main source of vitamin D! This sunlight not only affects our bodies—it’s also a source of comfort and well-being that can help reduce winter depression.

So why not take a few minutes each day to get some fresh air, admire the trees and the birds perched on their branches, watch the sunset, walk with friends, or enjoy a good sport?