25 Ideas to beat the winter blues

You’re feeling low, but everyone else is in a festive mood.  Here are our top tips to pick yourself up – choose your favourite and give it a whirl…

Smile: Instantly feel better.  Plus, you’re working out your face muscles.

Pay someone else a compliment, and make yourself feel good inside

Be kind to yourself.  Don’t beat yourself up about stuff.  We all have things we wish we could change about ourselves.  Don’t punish yourself for being human.

Go outside.  Wrap up warm and feel the wind on your skin.  There’s nothing like a storm for making you feel alive.  Try to spend as much time in the fresh air as possible.

Have fun outside.  Kick through the autumn leaves.  Splash in puddles.  Throw a snowball.  Get muddy.  Re-claim the child inside.

Or get cosy inside.  Snuggle down in the warm with blankets and a warm drink and be glad that you are not out in the rain or stuck in crowded shops.  Read a book or watch your favourite film. Enjoy hibernating.

But do make the inside bright.  Try getting an artificial light box for SAD (seasonal affective disorder) to increase the light inside your house, or a dawn simulator to make it easier to get out of bed in the morning.  Amazon has lots of options available.

Do some cleaning or tidying. You don’t have to become a cleaning ninja, just make yourself some space that you want to spend time in.

But don’t try to do too many things.  Sometimes we all need some time to slow down.  Don’t worry about creating the perfect life, going to the right parties, cooking the best food or buying the correct gift.  None of those things are important.  Do what you can, and forget the rest.

Instead, do something relaxing, whatever floats your boat.  If you’re stuck for ideas, how about an adult colouring book, or listen to a relaxation CD.

Don’t feel guilty about not having the perfect Christmas or New Year.  There’s no such thing.

And don’t compare yourself to others.  We all think other people’s lives look perfect, but that is not the way to happiness.

Count your blessings: everyone has something to feel thankful for, even if it is hard to find what it is.

Practice deep breathing, even if it’s only for a minute each day.  Our introduction to yoga-type breathing is here.

Listen to music, preferably something calming or inspirational.  Dr Parrot’s favourite classical pieces are here.

Try baking bread.  Or maybe start with crispy cakes or flapjacks if you’re baking skills are not the best.  Get your hands dirty and be creative.  Click here for recipe ideas.

Feed the birds: If you have a garden, put up a bird feeder somewhere where you can see it from the house.  If not, go out and find some birds to feed, maybe at your local pond or park.

Watch a nature documentary.  It’s one of the most soothing things you can do.

Eat more B vitamins and magnesium. Food high in B vitamins include eggs, milk, cheese, yoghurt and fish (tuna, salmon, trout).  This vitamin is also added to most popular breakfast cereals.  Dark chocolate, kidney beans, avocados, pumpkin seeds and oats are all high in magnesium.  Click here for recipe ideas.  Click here for the BDA factsheet on food and mood.

Arrange to see a friend, even if you haven’t seen them in ages.

Try to improve your sleep quality, but don’t lie there worrying if you can’t sleep.  Any sleep is better than none.  Try our sleep tips here.

Read a poem: Dr Parrot’s favourites are here.

Raise money: Choose a cause you believe in, and raise some money. Bake cakes, do a fun run, or just donate some old clothes to a charity shop.

Volunteer: If you have time, take it to the next level and volunteer.

You’re not alone, lots of people won’t have the summer they hoped for.  We can’t all be happy all the time.

Useful links

Try the Man Therapy website here, for a more masculine take on how to address low mood.