Winter Survival Tips: How to Be Cheerful | Blog

We love a good quote at Red Letter Days, and have to endorse what the great American writer Mark Twain once said:

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up”

So with that in mind, we canvassed our colleagues in the office and put together some practical ways to feel cheery – not chilly – this winter, as we give you our Winter Survival Tips!

Take Vitamin D

It’s one of the major nutrients we lack when winter is in force and we forget what the sun looks like. Deficiency of this vitamin affects us physically by lowering our bone density and can also adversely change our mood, so don’t forget to take your pills if you want to be more cheerful.

Shop
This is probably one for the girls. We love to shop don’t we, and it ALWAYS makes us feel better (whether or not we can afford the things we buy and invariably don’t need).

Exercise

It releases endorphins and feel-good hormones, warms us up on these freezing winter days and helps to get rid of that excess Christmas padding we would rather wasn’t there.

Give Yourself a Break
How many of you stay chained to our desks for the majority of the day? Some of us don’t even take our allocated lunch times! Do yourself a favour by going outside if possible, it’s where the fresh air lives apparently…

Do Something Daft

We’ve had a number of suggestions for this one, ranging from jumping in a pond to chasing ducks, ringing up a colleague pretending to be an irate customer, or telling the boss you want to take part in National Job Exchange Day. All are bound to help raise a smile.

Fake It

Try fake smiling or laughing – smile big, so that the muscles around your eyes all crinkle up. If you can keep it up for 18 seconds, your brain will start producing endorphins – fact!

Think Ahead
If all else fails, know that spring is just around the corner. Well, ok, it’s months away – but daffodils will be sprouting on a roundabout near you soon enough, and we can’t wait.

How do YOU cheer up in winter?