Winter Is Here

Yes, winter is here. Perhaps you can feel your energy levels dipping or your mood changing as the days get shorter and chillier and the nights longer and darker? For some of us this can affect us to a greater degree and it is worth getting professional help but for ALL of us here are some useful tips for getting through these winter months.

Talk your way through it:

How you think is going to affect how you look at things. If you are constantly telling yourself that winter is miserable or that you can’t do something then your mind will see only that, focus on it and make a habit of that negative thinking.

Practice stopping those lines of thought and thinking more helpfully. Look for the good, whether it’s clear starry nights, splashing about in wellies, snuggling up in a blanket or whatever works for you, Be on the lookout for other things that you perhaps miss or have never noticed before when previously you’ve been too busy focusing on the negatives. It has been shown that visualising positive activities can also help boost your mood by physically activating the areas of your brain that stimulate positive feelings.

Keep a regular updated list of all the things that you’re grateful for – that too helps to shift the focus away from the negative.

Get out there:

It’s all too easy to sit indoors feeling gloomy, slumped in front of the telly or at our office desks at  lunchtime. Spending too much time indoors means we deny ourselves even more light, reducing Vitamin D and serotonin levels even further (both of which affect our mood and energy levels). So, get out into the light as often as you can and let as much light into your home or office as possible. Combine getting out with getting some exercise and you can boost those serotonin levels further.

If you are watching TV, watch something that’s light, bright and inspiring to take your mind away from the cold and damp.

Make plans and make changes:

Use the winter months to plan ahead or do all those things you’d planned on doing at home that you didn’t get round to. Plan what you’ll do this Spring or Summer, where you’ll go, perhaps you can plan a break or plan what you’ll do in your garden (perhaps buy some seeds now)  or plan some kind of summer exercise routine.

Doing something different can also help change your mind-set. When we get stuck in a routine just because “we’ve always done it that way” stops us from opening ourselves up to doing other things. So what have you always done that you could maybe change? Have a go at doing something differently and surprise yourself at the effect it has!

If you need help to make changes in your life and view things differently call Linda at the clinic on 01865 558561 for further information about Clinical Hypnotherapy.