5 ways to turn those gloomy days into glory days

Monsoons are finally upon us! After the intense, unbearable, hellish heat of April and May, most of us in the western coasts look forward to the month of June, July, August…especially the farmers.
Of course, monsoons come with their share of setbacks too — too much rain tends to put our everyday routine into a tizzy, getting to work and back can become a hindrance, drying clothes are a problem and everything’s mucky everywhere.
Oh, and not always do the grey skies spell happiness. In fact, there are a number of people who do not like the gloom at all! Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is real! Add to that, the current ongoing pandemic; for many, sitting at home doesn’t bring out any relief or positivity.

Yet, since monsoons are a staple of the annual coastal seasons, and usually last for 4 months, there’s just no point in getting ourselves down with negative thoughts. So, if you find yourself slipping into a darker, sadder corners of your mind during one of those gloomy and relentlessly rainy mornings, you need to take action.

Here’s what helps me –

Exercise
Yea, here I go again! But exercise IS actually a solution to a lot of afflictions — physical and psychological.
Scientifically, exercise causes heart rate to increase which allows blood to flow more easily to various parts of the body, brain included. As the blood flow increases, the brain is exposed to more oxygen and nutrients; and also induces the release of beneficial proteins in the brain. These nourishing proteins keep the brain cells healthy. Also, we’ve all heard this a numerous times; when we exercise, our body releases dopamine and endorphins, the happy chemicals. Which means, our brain makes space for those positive chemicals by dumping out stress and anxiety.
So yea, exercise.
Now, it doesn’t have to be something that involves going out (of course, it is raining) or lots of space (most of us do live in space constraints). Yoga is home bound and doesn’t take too much space. Or time. 30 mins a day; add 15 more during the gloomy time. Yet, if you can manage something more vigorous than that, please go ahead!

Fresh diet

It may sound a school-kid cliché, but it is true — in a healthy body resides a healthy mind. While we’ve dealt with the exercise part, let us not ignore that food is even more important for a healthy body.
This is my favourite part — when we talk of food that is fresh and organic and NOT processed much! Fruits, vegetables, nuts… lot’s of it! Keep off excess sugar and carbs..
I am sounding like a fitness blog once again! But then that’s because of food affects our mood. There are numerous researches that say that there is a close relationship between our brains and our gastrointestinal tract, often called the “second brain”. The GI tract, home to billions of bacteria, influence the production of neurotransmitters (again, 2 most common are dopamine and serotonin), that constantly carry messages from the gut to the brain. Eating healthy food promotes the growth of the ‘good’ bacteria, which positively affects neurotransmitter production, sending positive messages aplenty to the brain; thus reflecting in our emotions. A steady flow of junk food, on the other hand, can cause inflammation and hamper the neurotransmitter production, resulting in a gloomier, darker mood.

But, this is no fitness blog, and we are talking about feeling good in this gloomy weather. Therefore, while keeping ‘fresh and healthy and organic’ in our minds and lives, we will still differ a bit here.. and not cut ourselves off our comfort food when feeling blue; especially when it is the chai and bhajiya kind of mausam outside! So, do indulge in an extra hot cuppa, but cancel the sugar in it. Take in those fried fritters with an interesting array of mixed vegetables thrown in. And, if you feel like it, take that bit of dark chocolate and whitewash away your dark mood.

Great melodies, happy lyrics

Gloomy weather is the best time to listen to happy songs. I find nothing better than peppy, upbeat music to beat away my weather related woes!
There’s so much pleasure in listening to the age old baarish ke gaane, curled onto a couch with my cuppa and book…
…or playing the foot-tapping Mr. Blue Sky or Happy or Best Day of my Life with my family to make a party out of the dim day!

And then, how many ever dark clouds gather in the skies, or heavy downpour drown my driveway; my spirits remain un-dampened.

Brighten up

Wanna lighten up the mood? Brighten up your space! Sure, the clouds outside don’t give much scope for natural light, so, I #SwitchOnTheSunshine artificially! Yea, keeping our rooms and homes well-lit can make darkness disappear like magic!
That is simply because lighting helps us to feel more energetic and is scientifically proven to lift our moods. It is a known fact that lighting has a direct impact on our brain and our hormone balance via the retina in our eyes. The happiness neurotransmitters (here they come again) aren’t released to the same extent if we don’t receive enough light.

Reach out

Gloominess outside is the right time to socialise. Well, since it’s the pandemic still, long distance socialising actually. Thank God for technology, thank God for the phone! Reach out to that friend or sibling or cousin who always makes time for you, and have a completely light, meaningless chat. It works for me every time SAD rears it’s ugly head; and gives me energy and motivation to move through the gloom.

In the end, remember, it is a season and it will pass.