Fall is rapidly approaching, and sadly, so is Seasonal Depression. Seasonal Depression tends to start affecting people in October or September and doesn’t end until April or May. This is a time where it may be a little harder for some to feel good, something that does not usually take a lot of effort for most. Knowing this information means that during this time, you have to be more intentional about keeping your mood elevated. Here are a couple of things that can help with that.
- Singing/ Listening to Music
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Music is very powerful. It is known to help people relax and help manage pain, physical and emotional. Listening to music is something you might want to be more intentional about, if not already. Singing along to music is also something you should do more often. It is a natural antidepressant, so even if you’re not that confident in your voice, you should just try it.
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- Moderate Level Exercise
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Exercise is a good habit to have. It helps relieve stress, helps you sleep better, helps your memory, and has a positive impact on people dealing with anxiety and depression. You could do things like going on a brisk walk, swimming, dancing, or playing any sport you like.
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- Think of 10 Positive Things in Your Life
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There are a lot of times when it is easier to focus on the not so good things rather than the good. This is why it is important to be intentional. One thing you can put into practice is at the end of every week or couple of days, think of or write ten positive things that happened to you, opportunities you got, people you met, or anything you deem positive. This exercise helps long term because having to think of so many things trains your mind to look for the positive things in your everyday life. Once you’re consistently able to think of or write ten positive things, you could even challenge yourself to think of more positive things in your life.
- Give Yourself Credit
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Oftentimes it is found that we as people are harder on ourselves than anyone else is. One thing that everyone should try doing is giving themselves a pat on the back every once in a while. You shouldn’t beat yourself up every time you make a mistake, but instead, you should learn from it and think of all of the times you didn’t make a mistake. When you forget to do one assignment out of fifteen, you shouldn’t harp on the one you missed, but think of everything else you have done and just try to do better next time. The key to being able to to give yourself credit is to remember that we as humans were not made to be perfect, so when you do good on something it is worth the applause, your applause.
- Make Checklists
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Making a checklist makes it easier to do everything you have to do for the day without forgetting anything, and seeing all of your accomplishments on paper makes it easier to give yourself credit. Checklists increase your productivity level as well as your motivation to get through the day.
- In Your Time, Do Something You Enjoy
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When the only thing you do when you’re awake is do what you have to do to get back in the bed, you are not setting yourself up for happiness, but actually, the opposite. If you don’t already, you should try doing something fun. You should try watching your favorite movie or going to your favorite place (with regard to safety regulations, of course).
- Develop a Daily Affirmation for Yourself
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Forgetting your value and not taking care of your mental health are contributing factors to depression. A daily affirmation helps with those things. When developing your affirmation, you should include the things you like most about yourself along with encouraging words. If you have experience with depression, you can also include affirmations for things you know you tend to doubt when you are depressed. After developing the affirmation, you could put on whatever mirror you look in every morning so that you can recite it to yourself.
- Take Naps
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Taking naps is so important, but once people get to a certain age, they feel like they have outgrown them. News flash, you never outgrow naps. Being well rested helps people to be in a good mood, and according to the National Sleep Association, a forty minute nap can improve performance and alertness.
- Organize Your Living or Work Space
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Being organized helps to reduce stress and depression. Organizing your space can even give you control which is especially gratifying when you feel like you have none everywhere else. It also helps you to relax because it is such a mindless activity.
- Make Your Bed
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Making your bed every morning helps to get you motivated to start your day. When you make your bed, you are tackling one of your many tasks for the day, and doing so gives you the motivation to continue to be productive.