Winter is a harsh time of year fraught with stresses not felt during the warmer months. When the mercury drops, stress and depression can rise as we worry about road conditions, heating sources and the prospect of never setting foot out of doors without full Arctic gear ever again.
Worry not, because Spring really is just around the corner. In the meantime, give your brain a mini-workout by watching these Ted Talks that will help you come to terms with the cold weather:
SAD and the Gifts of Adversity
Dr. Norman Rosenthal @ TEDx – [Watch Here]
SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder, a type of depression that is related to changes in season. It occurs during the same season every year for the individual who experiences it and most often occurs in the wintertime.
Winter-onset SAD is usually caused by the lack of sunlight, causing the brain’s levels of Serotonin to drop.
In this video, Dr. Rosenthal discusses his move to the United States and his first encounters with SAD. He talks about the impact SAD had on his life and the steps he took to overcome it.
A Park Underneath the Hustle and Bustle of New York City
Dan Barasch @ TED@NYC – [Watch Here]
If you could escape underground, away from the blustery cold of winter, would you?
Dan Barasch and James Ramsey want to do just that – by building a park underneath New York City. Their idea is to develop an underground park the size of a football field in an abandoned trolley terminal that uses sunlight from above to nourish the green space.
The park would be available all year round, making it the perfect getaway on those frigidly cold days.
How Books Can Open Your Mind
Lisa Bu @ TED2013 – [Watch Here]
When the days are short, and the temperatures low, it’s easy to find oneself confined to the indoors. While it’s easy to fill up the long winter months with Netflix and video games, this season is the perfect time to hunker down with the warmest blanket and lose yourself in a good book.
Lisa Bu explores the magic of reading, using an illustrative example of her life to show that reading is not simply a matter of interpreting words on a page. Learn how Bu uses books to expand her mind and create a new life path.
Take time this winter to fall in love with reading!
Why Some People Find Exercise Harder Than Others
Emily Balcetis @ TEDxNew York – [Watch Here]
If you’re like most people, you probably made yourself a promise when the bell tolled at midnight on New Year’s Eve that involved getting into shape and exercises. If you’re like most people, you have probably failed this goal miserably.
Luckily, Emily Balcetis may know why some of us struggle so hard with exercising and getting into shape – and it’s not what you think.
You can blame it on your genes, your metabolism and your addictions but it may be as simple as lacking the proper vision. Balcetis explores how our view of the fitness may be the thing that keeps us from reaching our goals.
