Soup, Sun and Social Action: How to beat the winter blues!

When the novelty of the snow has worn off, the wetness and coldness and general lack of sun can really get to us. Luckily, we have lots of tricks up our sleeves here at Oxford Hub to help beat the winter blues!

Get outside!

Curling up in bed might seem like the best tonic to the winter blues but actually prevents you from getting that much-needed vitamin D. Even though it’s freezing cold, the sun hitting your face can make a huge difference to your mood, encouraging production of endorphins and serotonin.

Why not get out of the house and take part in some community action, such as gardening with East Oxford Good Neighbours or heading to a Community Conservation work party? The dream combination of exercise and getting outdoors is guaranteed to help get your happy on.

Eat something hot.

If, like me, you’re bored of feeling cold, there’s nothing better than a hot bowl of soup to warm you up from the inside out. Project SOUP’s first event of the year is taking place this weekend, so make sure to head down for some heartwarming soup and community fundraising fun!

Meet someone new.

Making new friends is a guaranteed way to boost your mood, especially if you’ve been hanging out inside during the snowy weather. Come along to Language Exchange for some mutual Arabic-English learning, and meet some more members of the community!

Seize a new opportunity.

The time for starting new things doesn’t have to stay behind in January! If you’ve been meaning to learn the oboe, teach yourself to beatbox, or even start volunteering, the best time to do it is always straight away.

If you want to try something new this month you can read about all the fantastic volunteering opportunities we have going on here — we’ve got something to suit everyone.

Start thinking about summer…

Stop daydreaming about all the lovely things you’ll do once the weather is hotter, and start planning them! Whether that’s booking a trip to Malta or planning your first barbecue of 2019, it’s never too early to start thinking about your summer plans.

At Oxford Hub we have some very exciting plans for this summer, as we are launching our Become a Social Change Leader programme! More than an internship, this programme will place successful applicants with local charities and provide training, socials, and more, to make it a summer to remember. Applications are open now!