By james art Tips for mental health during the shorter days.
A mental health charity in County Durham tells us that when the clocks go back, it can have a negative impact on our mental health.
They encourage people struggling through the darker winter months to reach out for help and find coping strategies that work for them.
Shorter days cause a lack of vitamin D, which can affect how we feel and our mental health.
Matthew Smith, one of the founders of the If U Care Share Foundation in Chester-Le-Street, said: “It’s a personal thing, but so is the science behind it. You know, vitamin D is very good for our mental health, and when the days and nights get darker, we end up getting less vitamin D, and that can affect us in different ways.
“Awareness of that is the first thing, but we also try to balance that and try to think about how you can take care of yourself when these things that are out of our control can affect us.
“One of the most important things for all of us, and what our charity is trying to push across, is the importance of coping strategies and finding what helps you in difficult times, in dark times. Finding the strategies that help you and finding the strategies that give you that release when you feel down.
“Are you eating the right things? Are you drinking the right stuff? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you spending enough time with people you trust, with whom you have that connection in whatever ways or means you communicate?’
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