Beating the Winter Blues

With winter on our doorstep , decreased hours of sunlight , often grey and cold conditions, it can be hard to stay upbeat and positive.

Kristin Liggins from TLC thelifecoach says “ Winter Blues are a reality. In the USA 1 in every 16 people feel inexplicably dispirited 5 months of the year. (statistics from the Academy of Family Physicians.)

Kristin goes on to state “ Human beings, from Caveman days, have been hardwired to scan for danger. In modern day society that has been translated into scanning for negative circumstances. We naturally scan every 5 secs !!!!

So YES it’s not just you  - everyone naturally focuses on the negative rather than the positive. If someone gives you 4 compliments but throws in one criticism , you will focus on the latter. 

Some people have learnt to control this and are able to be positive. Kristin says ‘ Unfortunately  the  people who can focus on the positive are the minority. The majority let anxiety, stress , worry etc rule their life. The name for this is Psychological Stress – the biggest stress of western society.

We focus on the negative in our past, present and future. The busier and more sophisticated we get the more stress we are creating.

So how can we stop this? Kristin tells us “ Our mind is a tool for us to use when we need it. Regrettably people don’t know how to control it and turn it off. They let their mind race continually, burdening them , overwhelming them.”

The question then is, how do we turn ourselves into happy, positive people?

It starts with mindset. It’s out with the negative and in with the positive.

To get rid of the negative you must acknowledge whatever negative emotions you are holding on to and gain awareness what has caused them. Then it is a process of letting go.
To let go you have to either find acceptance, forgive,  or say sorry . There will be some things that don’t fit any of those boxes and you have to find a solution. Every problem does have a solution albiet it can take some soul searching.

To create a more positive mindset you need to learn  to not sweat the small stuff, normalise things and put them into perspective. Try positive visualisation. Allow yourself to day dream of how you want your life to be. Focus on what you want  in life not what is bad  at present.  They say you are what you eat, but you are also what you think.

You need to get outside more and embrace natural beauty. You need to get physical – work up a bit of a sweat. Play a sport you enjoy. Work out what you love doing and go do it. Ignore all the excuses you have for not doing it, force yourself , you will find you actually enjoy it and it makes you feel good.
Try meditation, yoga or relaxation techiques to allow you to clear your cluttered mind to become mindful.

Be kind to yourself. Take time to write out all the good characteristics you have. Reflect on everything you have achieved in life . Ask a  good friend , family member or colleauge to tell you what they think your good attributes are. Learn to be your own best friend by acknowledging yourself daily with positive affirmations.

And lastly learn to be thankful. However bad you think your life is , there is someone out there far force off. Think about what is good and every morning or before you go to bed say 3-4 things you are thankful for . Practicing gratitude will have you more positive.