4 tips to beat the winter blues

The changes in the seasons can often bring about a change in mood for many of us. If you are susceptible to Seasonal Effective Disorder (SAD) or even if you just feel low around the colder months, below are a few tips that will help to uplift your spirit and your mood.

1. Sunshine Therapy

20 minutes of sunshine everyday is the bare minimum your body should be getting a day. Sunlight stimulates our pineal gland, a small organ behind the forehead which produces melatonin. Melatonin is the boss of our body clock, controlling all the important bits and bobs such as our appetite, sleep and sex hormones, ultimately three main players in our day to day lives, so we need to keep them happy! Getting the right amount of sun throughout the year will lift your mood and will prevent SAD.

2. Good Food Good Mood

Eating badly will make you feel bloated and lethargic. The cold winter months make us all want to sit and eat a mountain of comfort food, starch laden sugar drenched comfort food. Yummy, but bad for us nonetheless. Obviously Christmas and New Year are about treating yourself and eating wonderful food with your family but make sure you are also eating good healthy wholesome foods, packing with vitamins and minerals that don’t just supply a rapid burst of energy.

3. Clear emotional blockages with movement

If barricading yourself inside your nice warm house and hibernating on the sofa for an eternity sounds familiar then you are not alone. Winter seems to pull our feet out from under us only to pop them into a pair of slippers. Nobody expects you to go for a run in a blizzard but make sure you get regular exercise. You could try yoga, tai chi, or even massage therapy. Its important not to let your energy stagnate because this will bring your mood down even if you don’t notice it.

4. Laughter

Laughter is definitely the best medicine , so this winter try to do it lots and lots. Research tells us that laughter boosts immune function, and also increases the release of endorphins, the compounds that give you a sense of well-being, in your brain.