If you’re anything like me, the weather this time of year can make your emotions feel especially out of whack. Since the clocks have just gone back an hour, I thought that there was no better time to make a guide to beating the November blues. Below are a few of my favourite ways to kick winter sadness to the curb, and I encourage you to come up with your own list that you can use this winter to remind yourself what makes you happy!
Watching Mamma Mia (or any comfort movie)
What better way to kick the sadness of the 4:30pm sunset than to watch a movie filled with sunshine, singing and dancing? Mamma Mia never fails to bring a smile to my face, and it has gotten me through some pretty sad times. How can you be sad when Meryl Streep is singing on a yacht? Or when you watch Sophie sail around a Greek island with her three possible fathers? The star-studded cast makes the movie even more special, and there’s nothing like an ABBA song to lighten your mood, so why not watch a whole movie-musical based on them?
Drinking a Hot Chocolate
A warm hot chocolate (with whipped cream or marshmallows—take your pick) will immediately make any sad feeling go away, even if just temporarily. The warmth of the drink is not only soothing, but nostalgic too. There’s something about having a hot chocolate that makes you feel like you’re a kid again, without a care in the world.
Making a Happy Playlist
My happy playlist for this winter is called ‘sunshine for the soul,’ and it’s filled with songs I know will make me want to get up and dance. Songs that bring a smile to my face and make me feel like it’s the middle of summer. If you want to take this one even further, you can choose a specific song (mine is The Middle by Jimmy Eat World) that you must dance to every time you hear it. Put that song on your playlist, so that at least once a day (if you listen to a lot of music, like me) you’ll have to have a little three-minute dance party. Meredith and Cristina from Grey’s Anatomy were right, there is almost nothing that can’t be solved by dancing it out.
Wearing Bright Colours
Fall and winter wardrobes are normally full of dark colours, but I have decided that this simply won’t do this year. Wearing dark colours every day when it’s dark by 4:30pm makes me feel gloomy, so this year I’ve decided to keep wearing my clothes and all my other summer pieces (within reason—it’s a bit too cold for sundresses now). Taking the time to put together a bright outfit every morning and tying it together with some jewelry or accessories has the power to make your day a little brighter!
Having a Night in (or out) with Friends
I love nothing more than a good night with people who you know will make you laugh until you have tears in your eyes. Whether you stay in or go out, make time this winter to be with people who brighten your mood and lift your spirits. It’s easy to get caught up with school (it’s the busiest time of the semester) but it’s important to remember that sometimes it’s more important to see the people you love than to have finished all your readings. Lean on the people in your life who are there for you.
