It’s that time again. Daylight savings steals one more hour of sunlight from the evening and stitches it onto the early morning. The sky starts dimming before 5.

Bitter cold and darkness, artificial light, scarcity of human beings on the street, all of these are magnifiers of your frustrations and sorrows. Your toleration of bad things happening in life decreases drastically, and so does your sense for happiness.

Most of the people get frustrated by the reduction of daylight, some of them have even more serious mental reactions to this change. It is commonly known as the “Winter Blue” that most of the people suffer from, more or less, but if severe, it gets a more formal name—SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

I have suffered, though not severely, with these down moments myself. This is a perfectly normal mental reaction to shorter days in winter.

Dreariness is inevitable, but what we can alter is our attitude towards it. Actively looking for positivity is the best treatment to gloomy mood.

As days getting shorter and shorter, I think it is about time to make a list of ways to overcome winter blues.

1 Talk to People

This is the first and foremost. Cumulating negativities within yourself is never going to work. Go outside and talk to your friends about your troubles. Even if they don't have perfect ideas for solutions, letting them listen to you is always a good treatment for relaxing.

2 Blend into the crowd

Even if you don’t feel like talking to people directly, setting yourself in such environment, like a bustling street, lively public square, or anywhere else with a crowd, can help. Stand in the middle of the crowd, listen to the liveliness of human beings—such experience reminds you of being surrounded by lives, that you are alive.

3 Go out in the day

Although short, winter days can be lovely. Breezes are softened and the outdoor temperature is slightly up. Sometimes sunlight can penetrate layers of the dark clouds and spray a little bit of warmth onto the ground. That is what you are looking for during the day: to let sunlight, no matter how little of it, light up your body. Light up your mood.

Stay in as much as possible when it gets dark. Even artificial light can be of some help. Don’t go alone into the dark when you are already feeling down.

4 Find a way to vent your feelings

Same as treating other kinds of frustration, venting feelings by means that don’t bother others is a very healthy way of cheering yourself up. Do some drawings, play some musical instruments, or, if you don’t have a special hobby, simply go for a jog. Jogs in winter can be surprisingly refreshing.

5 Keep yourself occupied

Keep your body and mind busy. People’s minds tend to be more likely to whine about sad stuff when it is empty.

Stop moping and keep your mind occupied. When you get your work done, find yourself something more to do. Read a book, do some exercises, or simply preview your next class’s content. If you don’t want to stay in quietly, go on an adventure outside. Hiking, camping, or simply grab a coffee at a nearby town. When you are busy setting these things up, your mind will have little room to think about how sad it is.

It is also a great time for you to start establishing a new hobby. Since you will start spending more time indoors, trying to do something else to fill up your time is always better than Netflix binging.

6 Eat good food

I don’t mean SWEETS only. While sweets certainly can temporarily light up your mood with its high containment of sugar, finely seasoned, properly cooked food is always a better cheer-up choice. Not to mention it is healthier, but meanwhile, it gives your tongue a rich sense of flavors and great satisfaction coming right after it. Instead of digesting only sugar, you also get a well-balanced nutrition. Good food and a healthy body never let you down.

7 Have a regular daily schedule

Last but not least, don’t let shorter days mess up with your schedule. Getting up early can give you a refreshing start and keep you pumped for the rest of your day, while staying in bed late can only drag your mood down. At the same time, go to bed early and make sure you have a decent amount of sleep. A healthy schedule keeps your life on track. That is the most important for you to keep looking forward, instead of whining about the present.

I hope we all can enjoy this special, a little bit tough, but still lovely season.