A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor - Franklin D Roosevelt
Getting out of the slump of everyday living
"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor" Franklin D Roosevelt
The past year, and who knows, the year ahead may make all of us skilled sailors. A lot of top tips from the NHS website helps one to get through the doom and gloom but it may not be easy. Some of us will say : look at the light at the end of the tunnel, another - be careful, that is a train coming. Some of these tips includes increasing helpful activities. A low mood can be a stopper on doing enjoyable activities. Start small, work up to bigger things. If completed, pat yourself on the back and move on.
Fact of the matter is that the way we feel, affects the way we act. If we are feeling low and depressed, our actions towards others will mirror this. There are many ways one can find help like talking to trusted friends, family and colleagues, or contacting a helpline - this can help us when we are struggling. Loosing sleep may aggravate the matter. Low moods can also be the cause one feels tired.
Being active, cutting back on alcohol and making sure you have a healthy balanced diet can help boost your mood, and help your wellbeing.
A low mood normally becomes problematic when it is frequent, persistent and begins to seriously affect work and your relationships. If you feel like this you could be suffering from depression and should see your GP. That said, it is normal to feel a bit down and low from time to time and this is usually a response to the challenges that life throws at you.
A low mood often manifests itself in the following ways:
Tiredness
Irritability with family and friends
No energy
No drive
Everyday things seem like a chore
Factors that can set off a low mood that ranges from a bad day at work, crowded public transport and the more serious of factors, health, money and relationship problems. Money problems are cited as the overwhelming cause of feeling down in the dumps. It is estimated that 65% of people are frustrated because they do not know how to get out of a slump.
According to a psycologist who specialises in personality and behaviour, Donna Dawson, exercise, sunlight, simplifying your life and making your home brighter and sunnier, keeping busy, reaching out to friends and family, are a few things that may bring a change to your mood. Stress is also a big contributor to feeling low and being in a slump. This can lead to over-eating and negative thinking.
Practices such as meditation, yoga, muscle-relaxation, and deep-breathing can be particularly effective. Five minutes whenever possible to escape to “your special place” in your head, wherever it may be, can do wonders. Using all senses, see, hear, smell and feel it, imagine yourself there, feeling calm and relaxed. After which you stretch yourself, roll your shoulders and neck helping stress not building up in your body.
Feeling better about yourself, will help you feeling better about your surroundings, kinder to others and give you the edge you need to get out of that slump.