The best advice you will ever have

• Exercise. Lift your mood with some aerobic exercise or weight lifting or some other physical activity since doing so boosts your body’s natural mood regulating chemicals. You’ll produce more endorphins and raise your levels of your brain’s natural antidepressants: norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine.
• Get enough sleep. This totally works for me. I found that once I’ve caught up with my sleep, I feel tremendously better. We all function better, think clearer, feel more refreshed and less stressed once we get into the habit of getting enough sleep.
• Watch the alcohol and say no to drugs. I think this is self-explanatory.
• Practice deep breathing to reduce your tension and stress levels. This will release more oxygen into your system along with those endorphins and help you relax.
• Keep to a routine.
• Don’t push yourself too hard or get stressed out.
• Take care of yourself if you get sick. Please, please get better before showing up to work. This way you should feel better faster, and your coworkers will thank you.
• Try to have fun. Maintain some social contact and don’t isolate yourself if you can help it. Get connected or reconnected: feeling lonely can trigger the mood swings!
• Get some light. If you are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D. refers to having the symptoms of depression tied to the seasons), step into natural sunlight as much as you can. But it sure doesn’t help when you face blizzards and extreme temperatures for weeks on end.
• Maintain good eating habits. Unfortunately, you may now be facing the consequences of having eaten too much high-caloric food over the holidays. Feeling a little puffier and heavier can be depressing I know! But you can make it up by reviewing your eating habits. Start the day off with a good breakfast and eat the right kind of foods on the right schedule. Why not try these foods to feel better.
• Take your vitamins. You want to maintain “balance” in your system and there are elements in a multi-vitamin that can help, including selenium and antioxidants.
• Schedule your breaks and vacations for the dead of winter and go somewhere warm and sunnier this time of year. Instead of taking all your vacation days in the summer months, why not reserve some in January or February? Then fly to Hawaii, or the tropics somewhere, or South America. Plus, you’ll probably get much better rates since you’re traveling off-season!
• Don’t overspend on the holidays. Budget your money carefully