David so eloquently described the blues that seem to creep in this time of year and it’s almost an epidemic.  There are variations in individuals and they are all bad.  There’s a lot of anxiety along with the blues.  My mother fought this during the dark winter months and as I grew up I learned practical ways to lessen some of the symptoms.

During this time of year I keep All the lights on!  There are special light boxes that are supposed to work well but I have discovered that keeping the lights on all over the house really lifts the spirits of everyone in the house.  It creates a warm atmosphere that fosters mental stimulation and feelings of well-being, a coziness and comfort of home.

Clear clutter.  Clutter causes depression in some people.  It can also cause anxiety simply by frustrating us when we try to look for something and we’re unable to find it.  Clean lines and minimalism increase focus and make our minds just work better without getting bogged down with small tasks that should come easily.  Everyone Spring cleans but an end-of-summer declutter is one of the best things that we can do for our mental health during the darkest time of the year.

Remove negative input from your life.  We all have had those people in our lives who never utter an encouraging word.  Everything is gloom and doom all the time.  If there’s no stress present, they will create it.  I lived with this type of personality around me for a long time at one point in my life and the best thing that I ever did was to rid myself of that influence.  With these personalities, everything is dramatic.  It is one of the most anxiety producing factors that can be present in your life.  It feels like a weight pressing on you all the time because you know that the criticism is coming.  Big changes are not easy and I created a hard life in other ways but believe me, I would do it all again tomorrow.  When I am home, I am home, not perched on the edge of my chair waiting for the next shoe to fall.  Fix your life.

Take care of your appearance.  There’s just something about looking good that makes us feel better.  During this busy time, it’s easy to let ourselves go but the extra time that we devote to our appearance will pay big dividends in our mental health and overall outlook.

If you have pets, take up some time with them.  There have been many studies done on the positive effects of pets in our lives.  They are nonjudgmental  and fun.  It’s impossible to spend 30 minutes playing with your dog and not smile.

David thoroughly exhausted the science of the blues and methods to alleviate them.  These are simple practical things that can be added to great nutrition, hard workouts and superior hydration. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Sleep. Practice extreme self-care. Pamper yourself as much as possible.  Treat yourself like somebody special.  You are.  There’s not another one like you and there never will be.  You are unique.  Quite often our mood changes result simply from neglecting our most basic needs. Go easy on yourself this Winter, do yourself some favors and look forward to emerging in Spring a new creature, rested, exercised, coddled and slim because you turned a negative into a positive.  Not only avoid the bad, create the good.  Be relentless. This can be your very best time with new, exciting changes happening almost every day. Commit to you. You will love yourself for it. ;-*