Fresh Start

Written by MO.com Subject Matter Resource, Diane Lang

I always look at September ( right after labor day) as a fresh start. We all go back to work, kids go back to school and college starts. Its the time of year when our life can be chaotic. This is the time to remember that your lifestyle = your levels of depression or happiness. How we treat ourselves plays an important role in our moods and our health. Let’s make this September a great start to the new school year.

Here are a few tips/reminder on having a healthy, happy lifestyle:

1. Make sure your basic needs are met- we are more relaxed in the summer. Life is easier going but once we go back into full swing we tend to sleep less, drink more caffeine and eat terrible. If we don’t take care of our basic needs, we will feel stressed and unbalanced. Take inventory the first week by writing down in a journal: what you are eating, how many hours of sleep your getting, did you exercise? etc. This will give you an honest indicator of what is really going on in your life and from there you can make changes.

2. Even though the days are getting shorter and its getting cooler out we still need plenty of sunlight and fresh air. We feel calm when we spend time in nature. Sunlight also lowers our stress hormones and reduces anxiety. We also get Vitamin D from sunlight which is great for our bones and our moods. Get outside and enjoy the cool, crisp fall air. Add some exercise to your outside experience by taking a nature walk, apple picking, pumpkin picking, etc.

3. Boredom – boredom leads to frustration. We should never be bored, there is so much to see and do in this world. If your bored, its a sign your not living life to the fullest.

4. Professional and personal development – keep growing and learning. If we stop we become stale and stagnate. Stagnation can lead to depression. make sure that every few months you do something to broaden your horizons. For a lot of us, we can multi-task by taking a professional development class and getting the credit at work or towards our licenses.

5. Take time to enjoy the simple things in life – this gets harder as we get busy but even just sitting down for dinner with the family (without technology) and enjoying a good conversation will give you a boost of happiness.

6. Going back to school and work sometimes leaves us with little time to enjoy activities we love. Make sure to add some” flow” into your life by doing activities that you enjoy so much you forget about time and your in the moment.

For more information visit Diane’s website at: www.dlcounseling.com