Unplug!

The news these days has been very depressing and sometimes its just best to unplug from it.  Will you being informed about the events as they unfold really influence the outcome?  What if you just checked in once a week?

This article lists so many reasons to turn it off and unplug!
The Guardian.



This one too.
Is the news making you depressed?  From AllParenting.

This article is good for dealing with your worst depression days.
What to do on the bad days of depression.

Also, remember what we've discussed on this blog, get outside and get some sunshine, fake smile, move around a little, do some art, play, do something that gets you into the zone.

This too, shall pass.   Don't take the whole world on your shoulders!

Looking at the sky.

Looking at the sky is good for you.  I like to look at the sky and I like to take pictures of the sky.  It's meditative to sit and look at the clouds and it's good for you.  Try it.
 This is an easy one.  Even on cloudy, seemingly depressive days, the clouds are always doing something interesting, making shapes, moving.  Look.

http://lauragraceweldon.com/2013/07/24/look-up/

Let me sum up.

On this blog, so far, we have explored the science behind many different ways to improve your mood.  We've looked at how doing things for others can make you feel better, how practicing an attitude of gratitude can also help.  Those are the things you have heard of.  Some of the things that I am learning while researching and writing this blog and trying to hold on tightly to my own joy (and sanity) are just plain fascinating and frankly, kind of weird.

Here are some of the ways in a handy, printable form.  Hang this up someplace, use it as a background on your phone or tablet, do some of these things.  Honestly, I think the yogurt, which is the only one I have been doing consistently, may have saved my life this week.  Seriously, try to do them everyday!  Here they are.

Light!

Getting out in the sunlight is good for your health and it is good for your mental health as well.  People tend to get depressed when the natural sunlight is low during the winter, and this is often called seasonal affective disorder.  It can be helped by getting out in the sun or with artificial lights that synthesize sunlight.

Check out these resources:

Mayo Clinic 

Columbia

Benefits of Sunlight 

Did you realize that people do something akin to photosynthesis when exposed to sunlight?  We synthesize vitamin D through a chemical reaction in the skin.  I think that's completely fascinating!  

Sunlight has many, many benefits.  Go outside.  

You Shouldn't Shun the Sun.  

Get out there.  Plant some flower bulbs or do some guerrilla gardening with seed bombs, take a walk with a loved one or just sit down on a bench or your front porch for a little while.  

Dirt?!

Dirt Can Make You Happy.  Yes, gardening is a good outdoor activity that produces something and can, in turn,  produce a feeling of satisfaction that comes from that, it also can get you out in the sunlight and make you exercise, both of which we know to improve mood, but it has an added benefit as well.  There is a bacteria in the soil called Mycobacterium vaccae which has been proven to raise serotonin levels in the brain, which is the important chemical to fight depression.  It seems crazy, but it is true.  Even if you don't garden, just standing barefoot in the soil or picking some of it up with your hands can help you feel better about life.  How to get high on soil.  So if you want to experience more joy in your life in a more natural way than popping a pill, go outside, preferably barefoot and better yet, plant something that you can enjoy later in the year.  Spring is just around the corner and it's a great time to start a garden, even if it is just a tiny one on the windowsill.  Just make sure not to get any kind of sterilized soil that has had the bacteria removed ... get the real thing.  :-)  Healing Landscapes.  There is even a possibility that a vaccine against depression may someday be available!  How awesome is that?