5 Tips to Stay Happy No Matter the Weather

To say that it has been rainy in Mexico City is an understatement. The weather lately has made days cloudy and dark even when it's not raining that makes me wonder if it's really summer. I'm a person that loves this kind of weather, because it makes the plants and trees look beautiful! 

However, after several days of little or no sun, I found myself feeling tired and without energy. Here are 5 useful tips to avoid feeling blue and stay positive! Actually, I think these apply to our everyday lives, but are especially useful when we're not feeling that great.

1. Exercise

Whenever we exercise, we are modifying our brain chemistry. We are making our brain produce the hormones that make us happy and keep us feeling positive. Cold weather usually affects people and can be a huge trigger for depression. I had been feeling a little sad and with no energy, so I decided to exercise even if I didn't feel like it. I'm happy to report that it was useful, I felt like my batteries were fully charged and forgot about being sad. This is also good for your body. 

Make sure to ready my post on the importance of exercise: Why exercise? Is it really THAT important?

2. Meditation & Music

I'm a big fan of meditation. According to experts, meditating helps your brain increase the gamma waves which help boost cognition, focus, they activate the part of your brain that makes you feel happy and have positive thoughts. I do this quite often (though sometimes not as often as I should!) to stay centered. I've found that it helps me control my mood changes and keep my ideas in order. It is also useful at times when I feel a lot of pressure or am really anxious about something. Some people have told me they get the same effect from praying, so it basically depends on what you feel suits you best. I like meditating because I feel my body relax and it helps me to block anything that may be distracting me. I definitely recommend it.

To meditate I use relaxing music. Sometimes I listen to Enya's songs or even sounds from nature that help me think of relaxing places like the beach, a meadow or waterfall. However, I try to listen to music I like during the day. Music makes me really happy. As a child, I grew up listening to classical music, but now I prefer songs that you might hear when you go to a club or dancing.

3. Eat lots of Vegetables and Fruit

Having a balanced diet is one of the keys to feeling happy. Food has the power of changing your emotions and help you feel better. The more natural foods you eat, the less chemicals are in your body and affect both your health and mood. Several people have recommended me to eat less red meat and genetically modified foods. These can be substituted by organic food that has gone through a less aggressive process and still have all of the nutrients we need. Eating as healthy as possible helps you have more energy and avoid feeling down or having weather changes affect you.

4. Sleep well (at least 8 hours a day)

Well, this one is sort of obvious! If you sleep, you'll be in a better mood and feel rested and energized for the day. Whenever you don't get enough sleep, your mood and health are affected. Sleeping is the best way to keep your mind and body functioning throughout the day. Lack of sleep is commonly related to changes in weight, higher stress, memory loss and other scary things that I'd rather sleep more to avoid them!

5. Hang out with Friends & Family

This one is my favorite. The more you hang out with people you care about, the less you think about how good or bad the weather is outside. I like hanging out with them and hearing them sing karakoke (no, I don't sing, they sing for me!), go to the movies, exercise (huge fan of this one, it makes it easier!), have a cup of coffee to catch up or simple go out for dinner or talk on the phone. These are simple ways to stay happy and remember the important thing in life is to enjoy it!

Hope these are helpful!

Thanks for reading,

Ren =)