Change Your Game Plan
5 ways to beat the blues
In almost every part of the world, you can hear this phrase: If you don’t like the weather, don’t worry. It will change in a few minutes.
Or you may be familiar with this: God, help me to change the things I can. The courage to face the things I can’t change, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Change a word that frightens and inspires.
Change can happen anytime and anywhere. The only place where change occurs regularly is with seasons. They take place at the same time every year.
People who hate the heat of summer look forward to the cool days and nights of fall. Winter sports enthusiasts can’t wait to be outside in the cold. Gardeners look forward to spring when the result of their fall work begins to bloom. Beach people long for waves, wind, sand, and sunny days. We all have favorite times of the year.
But what happens when you aren’t feeling the excitement change brings?
You can give into the blahs and sing the blues, or you can do what good coaches do when their team is down. Change your game plan.
You may see yourself as a team player, but you have to be the coach and take charge for defeating seasonal blues. Toss out the playbook you created for this season and draft a new game plan for beating the opposing feelings.
There are few things in life we can control, and overcoming our blues is one of them.
Each of the ways listed is recommended by therapists and has been scientifically proven to enhance a person’s outlook and change their way of thinking from negative to positive. Athletes will tell you; you don’t have a chance of winning if you go into the game with the wrong mindset.
Five Changes to Make
- Change up your diet.
Do you remember being told as a child that you are what you eat? It was a simple way of telling you that you need to eat healthy if you want to be healthy. Everything we put into our mouths and swallow gets broken down into particles that our bodies absorb.
Certain foods, such as coffee, dark chocolate, berries, and oatmeal, are touted as having mood-boosting properties, such as dopamine, serotonin, caffeine, and N-acylethanolamine, which is chemically similar in composition to cannabinoids.
Partaking of a healthier diet contributes to your body’s overall wellbeing is an easy way to chase away those blues. So drink more caffeinated beverages, eat a healthy diet filled with fruits and fiber, and indulge in dark chocolate, a sinful decadence.
2. Soak up the sun
With less sunlight comes a loss of Vitamin D. Low levels have now been linked to depressive feelings. Vitamin D is absorbed through the skin. The more exposed skin, the longer the exposure, then the better absorption of the vitamin. Not too many people seek a tan in winter, but increasing the amount of food you consume with vitamin D added helps keep your levels up. If your vitamin levels are kept up, but you still feel blah and miss the sun, try some light therapy. Sit where you can look out a window. Buy a light box. Use a tanning bed.
The National Institutes of Mental Health recommends 20–60 minutes a day, preferably first thing in the morning, soaking up light rays to improve mood issues.
3. Move your body.
Science has proven exercise can change your brain’s way of thinking. High-intensity workouts release feel-good endorphins such as dopamine and serotonin; both are linked to an increased sense of happiness. (think runner’s high). These feelings don’t end when the workout stops, but have a prolonged effect when exercising.
Even low-intensity exercise was shown to release neurotrophic factors which stimulate nerve cell growth in the hippocampus. This is the part of your brain involved with learning, memory, and emotions. The stronger your brain cell connections are, the better your memory and your ability to learn. Recalling and increasing your skills makes for a happier human.
4. Stick to a sleep routine
Just because the sun goes down early, you don’t have to. Keep to your regular sleep schedule. If you don’t have a sleep routine, adopt one. This lets your body it’s time to wind down for the day. Take a warm bath, wash your face, brush your teeth. Now you know why your mother told you to do this every night. She knew routines kept your body on schedule
5. Me time vs. friend time
Treating yourself to a massage, curling up with a glass of wine and a good book, even indulging in a bit of private binge-watching is not necessarily a bad thing. When you spend more time with yourself than engaging with others, mental balances get out of whack. Humans are not solitary creatures by nature. They need interactions with others to be well balanced in life.
There’s nothing wrong with spending time alone to decompress from life’s demands. We need that too. Watch your time, though. Time spent alone is not always engaged in the mental or physical challenges a body needs to keep itself happy and healthy.
Coaches always have a game plan crafted from personal, objective knowledge of their players and each of their abilities. Sometimes a starting player may have an off day. Injuries can mean substituting players. A coach has to be ready for the unexpected always and stay active in the game.
You are your body’s coach. You know what you need to keep it responding to the demands placed on it from when you wake up until it’s time to sleep. View every day as a new game. Keep the desire to win alive. Winter can be a time of discontented hibernation if you don’t adjust your life patterns as needed. Listen to your body. Change your game plan. It won’t be long before the season you thrive best in returns.
No one likes to lose, not even when it’s to themself.
