Feeling funky as you wake each day to the prospects of gray skies, chilly temperatures, and icy road ruts to navigate?
Here are some strategies positive psychologists recommend as mood-lifters even in ordinary times. Using them now could pay big dividends:
- Gratitude. Each night at bedtime, start writing down three things that well that day, and why. They don't have to be momentous. Little moments count. Look and you will find them.
- Savoring. Whether it's a cup of herbal tea, a piece of chocolate (yes!), or an ice-coated branch catching a sun ray, spend a moment to take it in and enjoy it.
- Self-compassion. Acknowledge your grumpy feelings and be kind to yourself. Treat yourself as kindly as you would your best friend.
- Relationships. Stay connected with other people. Even if you're snowed in, you can usually pick up the phone and connect with someone you care about. Focus on them and how they are doing.
- Random Acts. Now is the time for those random acts of kindness. See how many kind things you can do for other people. Count them. Make it a game. They need not be time-consuming, just thoughtful.
If your sad mood persists, you could be experiencing a form of clinical depression, such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Check in with a mental health professional to see if you might benefit from additional help, such as talk therapy, light therapy or medication.
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Eat and Drink Yourself Happier
 Food choices can also help with the winter blahs. Alcohol and high-fat comfort food, right? Actually not. A review of nutrition sources put those solidly in the NO column. Instead, the idea is to focus on healthier foods that may offer not a short fix but long-term benefits. These include: - Fruits, such as avocados, apricots and kiwi.
- Foods (as well as supplements and sun) high in Vitamin D, such as fatty fish like salmon
- Foods high in the mineral silenium, such as whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy, nuts and seeds
- And happily, an ounce of dark chocolate a day
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Rethinking Time Through Multipliers
A mood-buster any time of year is the feeling that we're spread so thin, we can't achieve our goals.
Enter the theory of "multipliers," being advanced at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Instead of using an activity to move us forward on a single goal, the idea is to choose activities that can advance us on multiple fronts.
Multiplier fans cheer on activities that they say are "doubles," "triples," and even "home runs." A common example of a double would be walking with friends, which both provides exercise and builds relationships.
The multiplier concept is not to be confused with multi-tasking, which can distract our focus and make us less productive.
Stanford business professor Jennifer Aaker says more about mutipliers in this video.
 | | Jennifer Aaker: Rethinking Time & The Power of Multipliers |
. Copyright 2014 Pat Snyder
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