Wellbeing: Feed your soul

Beat the winter blues with good health and a warm home.

Don't allow grey skies to darken your mood now the cold weather has arrived. Beating the winter blues is all about keeping yourself and your home cosy and warm. Here are 10 helpful warm-up hints.

Flower power
One of the easiest, cheapest and loveliest ways to brighten up a space is with a bunch of flowers. During the dull days of winter choose blooms with warm, vibrant colours such as yellow sunflowers, scarlet-red carnations and chrysanthemums or hot orange bird of paradise (strelitzia). Fill vases around the house for an immediate burst of indoor vitality.

Go natural
Natural wood adds warmth and charm to any space and is very on trend right now. Think about using unpainted plywood for walls, shelves and cupboards and (sustainably grown) hardwood timber for floors, chairs, tables and other furniture. Don't use the same timber everywhere though. A variety of light and dark wood tones is way more relaxed and interesting. Tie natural wood elements into your overall colour scheme by using fabric throws and cushions with complementary or harmonising hues.

Hide and seek
Very often it's the unseen elements in a house that make the most impact on your comfort levels. Number one in that category would have to be insulation. It may sound boring but check out the statistics on the difference it can make to your heating bills this winter and you might change your mind. See more on pages 18 and 19 of today's Herald on Sunday. The amount of heat we lose through uninsulated roofs and walls alone can amount to more than 50 per cent in older homes. Insulation is now a must if you're building a new house or altering an existing one, and there's even government funding available for low-income households. (energywise.govt.nz/funding-available/insulation-and-clean-heating)

Low lights
Lighting can have a huge impact on the atmosphere in a room and, therefore, the mood of its occupants. To create a warm, welcoming feel in your house this winter go for a mix of floor and table lamps rather than overhead lights when the sun goes down.

Try your hand at lighting design by moving lamps around, adjusting light intensity and levels to suit different occasions.

A pool of light from a standard lamp by a comfy armchair for reading perhaps, or a variety of lamps in the dining room with a little extra soft light from candles while you're entertaining friends for dinner.

Let the sunshine in
Don't leave the curtains drawn or blinds down on sunny winter days. That free heat should be used as much as possible. It may be gone by the time you get home but the sun's warmth will help reduce condensation and reduce that cold, damp feeling we all hate during the winter months.

Do the opposite at night time though. No point in heating your house if you're going to let all the energy escape through the windows.

In very chilly places, think about investing in thermal drapes.

Cook up
Cold, wintry days and nights are the perfect opportunities to indulge yourself with hearty meals. Think thick soups, succulent roasts and slow-cooked casseroles. Serve with fresh, delicious winter vegetables such as leeks, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, broccolini or kale.

Throw on
There's nothing nicer on a frosty winter's night than wrapping yourself up in a throw and, of course, when not in use throws are useful accessories to brighten up a neutral interior. The range of options available today is wonderfully broad, from hand-knitted neutrals and creamy mohairs to colourful exotic fabrics.

On the floor
We all love our wood floors but, in winter when your feet are bare, not so lovely. And then there's the issue of significant heat loss through the floor, especially if it's not insulated. Rugs are the ideal solution and, if you prefer, they can be stored easily during summer and laid out only during the colder months. Invest in a gorgeous textured flokati rug and everyone will be sitting on the floor this winter.

Spring fever
Giving yourself a reminder that spring is coming up is a great way to reduce winter doldrums. Pot up some indoor bulbs such as tulip, hyacinth or crocus that have been "forced" (chilled to trick them into thinking they've had a winter) so they will flower earlier than they would normally. Choose lovely pots or special glass bulb vases that allow you to see their roots developing and group in threes or fives.

Vitamin boost

When colds and flu bugs are about we need to ramp up our vitamin intake to keep our immune systems performing well. Stock up this winter with supplements containing vitamin C, echinacea, olive leaf and so forth. But think also about including as much immune-boosting food in your regular diet as possible. Add onion and garlic to soups, casseroles and pizzas or slow-roast them when cooking meat and other vegetables in the oven. Eat plenty of vitamin C-rich citrus and add lemons or kiwifruit to green smoothies.