6 tips to beat the winter blues

Tip #1: Focus on positive information

Our brains tend to retain more negative information than positive. To avoid the winter blues and boost your morale, it's important not to get stuck on 24-hour news channels. These channels deliver a wealth of negative and pessimistic information that generates and maintains anxiety. Focusing on positive information helps clear your mind and maintain your morale.

Tip #2: Go out and fill up on light

It is scientifically proven that the brain loves light , it makes a direct link with pleasure. When we expose ourselves to light, we produce serotonin which is involved in regulating mood. Going outside for at least half an hour a day allows the body to get moving again but also to get its quota of light and vitamin D to regain its energy.

Tip #3: Listen to music

Music boosts mood and reduces stress-related hormone levels. So, there's nothing like a playlist made up of songs that make us feel good! It's very easy to find them on music platforms. For a song to boost our mood, scientists describe three essential criteria: positive lyrics, a tempo of 150 beats per minute, and notes in a major key. Thus, the song "Don't Stop Me Now" by the famous band Queen tops the list of songs that make us feel the happiest.

Tip #4: Practice gratitude

This is a great exercise to boost your morale and see the positive. You have to be aware of the benefits that come from outside . At the end of each day, reviewing what was positive during the day is a real trigger for well-being. It can be a person, a situation, a place, a dish or even a song... Although difficult, this positivity exercise is very effective.

Tip #5: Wear brightly colored clothes

Colors have the power to change our emotions and influence our moods. Bright colors (like yellow, red, and orange) energize us: wearing these colors in winter can project an optimistic, energetic image, as they evoke warmth and liveliness. Blue, green, and purple are soothing colors that inspire tranquility, relaxation, and calm. Being aware of how each color can affect our mood allows us to subconsciously alter our current state of mind.

Tip #6: Stimulate a reflexology point

According to Chinese medicine, all our organs are represented in the foot. By practicing a self-massage , you relax and comfort your entire body. Before going to bed, warm your arch with the palms of your hands. Take a few drops of oil, such as Leonia white tea oil , and with your thumb, deeply massage the hollow of the foot (which corresponds to the solar plexus) by making small clockwise circles. Grasp the big toe between three fingers, then make small circles, all along your toe, starting from the base and lightly pinching the tip. Do the same on all four toes. With flexible wrists, tap on the entire surface of the foot, then with your hand in a shell, tap the foot three times and leave both hands against your foot, like a small slipper. You will feel the comforting warmth of this area, which the Chinese call "tong tend," meaning bubbling spring.