Am I the only one who feels this way? Sometimes that is how I feel on a daily basis once October hits. Basically from October to April, my mood signifigantly drops and everything becomes gray. Now I don’t consider myself to have depression because 1. I haven’t been medically diagnosed by a doctor and 2. it does not prevent me from going about my day to day life. However, I find that my motivation goes away, and life is gloomy. I define myself to mostly have seasonal sadness because it mostly only comes during the winter months. While I am no mental health expert at all, here are some of the ways that I work to combat my sadness when it occurs.
1. Use Natural Light Bulbs
Natural light is so important because your mood will instantly be boosted when your eyes take in light. I find that white light works much better than yellow light so take a trip to the hardware store and switch out the light bulbs in your room!
2. Get Outside When You Can
Fresh air has healing processes, no joke! Sitting inside all day is typically what makes me even more sad, so getting active and breathing in fresh air can work to boost your energy level and motivation!
3. Do Something Everyday That Makes You Happy
Take 30 minutes at least everyday to do something that makes you happy! For me, this is dance! It helps to relax me, refresh my brain, and remind me what I’m thankful for and why each day is worth it.
4. Eat Well
Having a poor diet is going to make you tired and sleepy, which is going to make your mood even worse! Eating healthy foods helps to fuel your body and give you energy to boost your mood naturally!
5. Know When to Say No
This is one of the hardest things for me to do, but learn to say no! If your body is feeling drained then give yourself some time to be alone! If you don’t give yourself a break then your body will continue to be exhausted mentally and physically. Your body will thank you!
So like I said, I’m no expert, but this is how I help to manage my seasonal sadness. I hope that these tips help some of you out!
HCXO,
Lexie Sites
Images courtesy of Google Images