HEALTHY LIVING: Beat 'Summer Slump' with positive thinking
SUMMER'S here and all the expectation of hot days and holidays should give us a feel-good buzz of anticipation.
But you're not alone if the prospect of sun and fun actually leaves you with a sinking feeling.
Perhaps that's because you fear that great weather outdoors will make being cooped up indoors working even harder, or that changing routine even for something pleasurable like a break away will entail stressful organisation – or worse, is not even affordable.
They could be signs that you're suffering from 'Summer Slump' - low mood which leaves you feeling tired and lacking energy, irritable with family and friends, and where everyday life seems a chore.
Psychologist Donna Dawson says it's surprisingly common for people to feel low and overwhelmed by life, as stress and tension may have accumulated over a long period during the winter.
"This year recession, with its negative effects on homes and jobs, will have heightened stress," she explains. "And there's the further disappointment of knowing you perhaps won't get physical and mental relief from a holiday.
"Also, it can be hard to deal with feeling low at a time of year when it's considered you 'ought' to be having a good time, or by contrast others appear to be coping well."
As this summer appears to offer less than those of the past, she suggests, it could be even more important to make minor changes to benefit health and wellbeing.
As well as paying attention to diet and sleep - even going to bed an hour earlier can benefit energy levels and mood - she suggests finding time to practise things like general exercise, yoga or deep breathing.
Regularly using a brief visualisation technique, she believes, could help to clear the mind and avoid stress building up.
"Take five minutes whenever possible just to escape to 'your special place' in your head, whether that's a tropical island, a mountaintop or a garden. Use all your senses, and see, hear, smell and feel it in minute detail," Dawson says.
"Imagine yourself there, feeling deeply relaxed. Then get up, stretch your arms and legs, wiggle your fingers and toes, and roll your shoulders and neck."
Similarly, author Colin Wilson says in his new book Super Consciousness (Watkins, 10.99) that we can use mind techniques to summon a feeling of intense wellbeing at will.
"We create most of our unhappiness through our negative thoughts," he explains. "But I believe people can learn how to regularly conjure those feelings of overwhelming happiness that in general they only experience fleetingly or randomly."
Wilson says it is about focusing on those moments of euphoria when, for instance, something we dreaded has not happened: perhaps losing sight of a small child and for a short time fearing the worst, or escaping a life-threatening incident.
In the aftermath, we have that consuming feeling of relief after anxiety defined by researchers as a 'peak experience'."
His view, backed by studies, is that by regularly focusing on and valuing those memories of intense happiness, we can reactivate them and end up with a more optimistic outlook.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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