Beat The Winter Blues
This time of year seems to be difficult for most people. Money is often tight after the splurges of Christmas and the sales, and daylight similarly sparse. The parties of December seem but a distant memory, and yet the life and the warmth of the spring, still seems so far off. I usually find it hard to get through January and February without at least a few low days. Last January, I discovered an excellent way to keep me feeling lighthearted and stimulated at this time of year. I went on a singing weekend in Morecambe.
I love to sing. I sing in the shower, round the house, while cycling on my bike and more formally in a weekly workshop and in the Manchester community choir. Singing has been scientifically shown to raise your spirits in a number of different ways. However, I don't need scientific proof. I know that when I sing, I feel good.
I go to at least one or two singing weekends each year, and although I enjoy them greatly, am rarely as challenged as I was at the weekend in Morecambe this year. This year, despite being pretty scared, I joined an improvisation workshop. Before the workshop began, our facilitator addressed the group and said some of the most significant words I think I have almost ever heard. "You can never be wrong in improvisation" he said. There is no script like with the rest of music, and so consequently, you can never ever be wrong. It was a complete revelation to me. "What never?" I thought. How fantastic! If only the rest of life was as simple.
However, he did point out that there was another side to that coin. Although you can never be wrong you can do something that someone else doesn't like. He pointed out that how you reacted to that, was up to you. You might ignore that person, or you might change in reaction to them.
After a hilarious, fun and productive workshop, where we gradually learnt some of the essential skills of improvisation, the small group made up a small piece together. The fantastic thing for me about that improvisation was not whether or not it was any good, but the fact that it was totally and utterly unique. It could never ever be recreated exactly as it was then. For some reason, that made it extra special.
Since that workshop, I've been thinking a lot about what I learnt. I learnt a lot about myself. I learnt that when I make a sound or a tune I like and enjoy, I am tempted to stick with it and not try anything new. I also learnt that despite this temptation, I would force myself to break away from it and try making new sounds and notes until I found another one that I liked. I also learnt that it's possible to be creative with others without being self-conscious. I learnt that listening is as crucial in improvisation as it is in my work as a coach. And that the air is full of notes which we can pluck and sing at will. I learned that I often pay more attention to what comes out of other people's mouths, than what comes out of my own and that something that had previously been terrifying, could actually be FUN! I took the buzz I got from the workshop away with me, and since then, whenever I feel myself getting a bit low, I remember the feeling I got at the workshop and instantly cheer myself up.
Beating The Winter Blues - Some Tips
- Eat a good breakfast. Food and mood are strongly linked. For more info visit the Food and Mood project's website http://www.foodandmood.org
- Some foods are good to be known to elevate your mood. Bananas are good because they contain tryptophan, which the body changes into serotonin. They also contain some important vitamins and minerals including B6, B2, folic acid and potassium. Also good are foods containing the Essential Fatty Acids - Omega 3 and Omega 6. These are found in oily fish, but also in linseed and hemp seeds. You can take supplements if you don't fancy eating any of these things! Other happy foods include avocados, sweet potatoes, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds and tahini.
- What do you enjoy doing? Make sure you have time to do it EACH day if possible or at least once a week.
- Some activities are known to be good for releasing endorphins. These include, singing, dancing and exercise. Try doing some activity first thing in the morning. It will help set you up for the day. Even five or ten minutes will be better than nothing.
- Exercise itself is known to be good for S.A.D. sufferers. If you can't bear the gym, considering doing something more active at home. Buy a skipping rope, run up the stairs. Anything to get your blood and heart pumping.
- If you haven't already, book yourself a break now. Even a wet weekend in Whitby will give you something to look forward to and keep you motivated through the dark days of February.
- Take in as much light as possible. Instead of skipping lunch break or spending it indoors, go for a walk outside and take in the strongest light of the day.
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