With fewer daylight hours and, typically, less social interaction, winter can be challenging on mental health -- but we don't have to suffer through it, a Cortes Island therapist says.

Registered clinical counsellor Kira MacDuffee has a practice, Opening Works, in Mansons Landing. MacDuffee said that the long winter months are comparable to COVID-19 lockdown periods: all that alone time can be confronting but is, simultaneously, a huge opportunity for healing and transformation, she said.

"I always say, what are we depressing? I don't see depression so much as a condition, but as a reaction to pain that we're trying not to feel," says MacDuffee.

To beat the winter blues, she recommends organizing or joining social gatherings, getting plenty of fresh air and spending time outside, as well as committing to a regular practice, like a creative pursuit.

Listen to the full CKTZ interview with Kira MacDuffee below: