Winter Blues Solutions

During these cold, gray days of winter it can be extremely easy to fall into a less than cheerful mood. Ok - maybe I'm understating the problem. We can get depressed, grumpy, mad at the world. We can start to go just plain old stir-crazy! Clouds and below freezing temperatures seem to amplify the rest of life's little problems.

It is important for our sanity (and the sanity of those around us) to go to battle against these bad-mood monsters!
*Check out this post my mom mentioned that takes a creative look at a similar every day challenge many of us have: here.
I decided to write this post because the gray skies of winter have a pretty big affect on my mood. It is much harder to be grumpy when the sun is shining brightly and it's warm enough for shorts and a tank top! I have to continually fight against my bad mood. Everything I do can affect my mood in some way or another when the sky looks gloomy.

So how do I fight? There are the obvious ways: reading the Bible regularly, spending time in prayer, getting enough sleep (all areas I could improve).
There are other things we can do that may not be quite as obvious... I take liquid Vitamin D and an herbal extract Good Mood Tonic every day. Reducing sugar intake and increasing "good fat" (coconut oil, cod liver oil, etc.) intake is important for energy levels and over all well being. Having a clean (and organized!) living space is key to a positive outlook on life. Consciously enjoying the little things in life is very important! Take the time to enjoy and appreciate those things that we wouldn't get a chance to do if it was warm and sunny outside. Things such as - savoring a cup of hot tea... Working on a puzzle while the wind howls outside... Filing your taxes in less then fifteen minutes because you live in Washington and don't have to file state taxes! Walking through a field of untouched snow in the moonlight... Watching the snow falling outside while you fall asleep. Little things can provide some of life greatest joys!

Don't let those winter doldrums get you down... Fight back with every "little thing" you've got!

What are some of the ways that you combat the winter blues?