Beat The Winter Black & Blues!
by Trudy Hill
We can all be susceptible to a case of the winter blues as the nights draw in earlier and the hours of sunlight we have decreases. But the good news is with a few simple steps you can keep your high spirits as the seasons change: on an even more positive note, it's simple!
One of the most effective things you could do to stay happy and positive is begin to change your thinking. We all have moments when we do not think about things in the optimum way: the following exercises can help us recognise when this is happening and train our brains to be more consistently optimistic.
Many studies in the field of psychology have shown us that over-thinking leads to more unhappiness, so stay happy by not overanalysing things and give your mind some breaks. If you find that you are constantly thinking and analyzing, and the idea of blocking things out exceeds you, then try meditation. Train your brain to switch off from time-to-time and rethink things with a fresh stance after some time-out. Another great way is a small dose of escapism: read a great book, watch an interesting film, visit the theatre, or see some live music.
You should also make sure you have more positive than negative thoughts. How? First you have to begin to pay attention to the way you think about things. If there is something bothering you, you could try and write it down; this is the best way to be able to take a step back and see if you are viewing the situation positively or negatively, and start to recognise the patterns of your own thoughts. Once you pick up on any negative thinking you can change it!
You will hear yourself saying something (out loud or in your own head): as soon as you clock it say something else instead. For example, change “how am I ever going to fit all this in this week, I don't feel on form?”, to, “I will get this all done and make the best of all the time left this week”. Every time you make a correction to your thinking try recording it (perhaps with a tally mark). Initially you might need to make 20 a day but as your thoughts change so do your feelings and behaviours, and ultimately this is fed back to you via more positive thoughts (finally a virtuous cycle!). Soon your positive thoughts will become automatic (similarly to the transition from learning to drive to actually doing it).
Be optimistic and positive but also realistic. The latter is essential in order to avoid negative reinforcement about your glass half-full approach. So, a pessimist says, “I know it's going to take me ages to adjust to the dark evenings and I am going to be tired and miserable.” An optimist says, “I know I will feel just as fantastic as any other time” (leaving oneself open to evidence that their positive thinking is faulty and not beneficial and potentially leading them to giving positive thinking a miss). A realistic but positive person would say, "I know there is an opportunity for improvement on how I felt last year".
Being positive consistently requires some kind of positive reinforcement too: so when something does go right, relish the moment and give yourself the reinforcement you need to maintain your frame of mind. Let the moment leave a mark on your memory by just taking a few moments to tell yourself what you appreciate about it.
If you follow all these tips, before long you will automatically think and feel happier: think ahead in terms of the practical factors, and think and speak positively in terms of everything else!
Trudy Hill is a Psychologist and Health & Success Coach