Summer is fading fast, but why be SAD?

Let’s face it – summer is over. I’m sorry to be the bringer of bad news for all you flip-flop/vest top/daisy duke wearing pioneers – but British Summer Time has officially ended. Time to cover up and save those fleshy extremities from the big bad, blustery world.

You will all soon start to notice a shift in mood amongst your colleagues now that the nights are beginning to draw in. There will be those of you who stoically cling on to the sunshine and try to convince people that it’s still summer. You will defiantly show up to work with your bare, jumper-less arms – whilst simultaneously shivering over your keyboard as the rain pounds the window next to your desk. Then there will be those of you who are already resigned to the colder months ahead, you’re probably even looking forward to the new season as you eagerly sew yourself into 4 layers of thermal knit-wear and energetically sniff a pumpkin spiced latte.

I am neither of these people, but I am, like many of us, still clinging onto the last dregs of summer. It’s not difficult to see why there has been a steady rise in the number of people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) over the last few years – as we start chasing the light home and reluctantly switch on the heating, it’s hard not to long for those good old sunny days where we sat drinking outside until 10pm on a Wednesday, ate BBQ food for breakfast lunch and dinner and generally had a jolly old time.

It’s undeniable that there is something about the longer days of summer that lends a sense of productivity to the day – and there is also something quite debilitating about the shorter days of autumn/winter that make us automatically retreat and slow down.

This year will be my first winter in the UK in over 4 years, and it’s fair to say that I’m dreading it! Unless there’s snow on a mountain, winter does not inspire me, and during those long winter months, many of us become less sociable and slip into an uninspiring routine that can be very hard to shake off.

There are, however, a number of ways to survive the British Winter and utilise our productivity – unfortunately hibernation is not one of these – but I’m going to list the top 5 that I’ll be having a dabble at:

Friends!

Remember those people you hung out with in the sunshine?! Instead of curling up on the sofa in an animal onesie watching naff TV, try and embrace the season of mulled wine and sweet treats and sit in front of warm fires, enjoy roast dinners and maybe even find a local pub quiz with your band of merry (wo)men.

Stay active!

Remember that summer bodies are made in the winter – remain active and get those endorphins flowing. I’ve just joined hot yoga, it fools me into believing that I’m in a more tropical place than I am.

Laughter!

A genuine, hearty belly laugh releases a cocktail of happy chemicals – something we all need to fight off the winter blues with.

Fight the carbs!

Fend off your natural instinct to eat carbs all day long to fill the void that BBQ season has left. Carbs are known accelerants of that lethargic, sluggish 3pm slump at your desk. Resisting the temptation of these during winter will be my attempt to power through the season at full speed (yes, my boss is reading this as we speak )

Fake it till you make it!

I’m not a morning person at the best of times, let alone in the winter, so I’m going to test out one of those fancy wake-up lights that imitates the sun rising in the morning and gives off that much needed Vitamin D.

I know that this is not a faits accomplis of how to kick SAD in the nuts, but hopefully my musings will provide a little motivation to kick start your winter productivity planning and help us all through the chilly months ahead.

Good luck all and remember ‘Winter is Coming’