Yes, music for the winter blues is a thing, and thank goodness it is! With shorter days, lots of clouds, cold weather, and that feeling that warmer weather is still weeks – or even months – away, feeling gloomy is nearly a natural reaction at this time of the year. All the added challenges of gestures broadly are only compounding the issue. Fortunately, with the right tunes in your ears, it’s possible to sink into your own sunshiny world while you work, relax, or just take a moment for yourself.
Music for the Winter Blues in the Face of SAD
SAD – that is, seasonal affective disorder – sounds like something made up. That said, anyone who suffers from it can tell you that it’s nothing to scoff at. It’s a form of depression that comes and goes with times of the year when sunlight exposure and time outdoors in daylight is particularly limited. Consciously, you might know that these feelings will start to lift as the spring arrives, but that can sound like it’s eons away when you’re in the middle of it.
How Can the Right Music for the Winter Blues Ease SAD Symptoms?
Using music for the winter blues is nothing new. People have essentially always known of the uplifting potential of certain kinds of sounds and songs. That said, many of us don’t take the opportunity to use this knowledge to our advantage. It’s time for that trend to come to a stop. Read on and learn about how you can use tunes – heard or that you’re making – to ease your SAD symptoms and feel better this season.
Practice this on a regular basis and feel better every day. This may not be a cure for SAD, and if you are suffering from it, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor to find tips to break your way out of it, but it can help. Every little bit, right?
1 – Listen to Uplifting Songs you Love
Open up your favorite music streaming app and get ready to create a new playlist. It’s time to start adding your favorite feel-good tunes, no matter their type or genre. Whether they’re silly pop songs from your childhood that fill you with gleeful nostalgia, or that powerful orchestral piece that builds you up and makes you feel ready for anything, add them all. Whenever you feel those winter blues creeping up on you, this is the music you’ll play to combat them!
2 – Play Your Own Songs
If you know how to play an instrument, or if you’re interested in learning, now’s a great time to get started. Playing your own tunes is a fantastic way to pick up a low mood and redirect your thoughts toward a positive, creative focus.
3 – Join Others
Get together with friends or other people who want to create sounds with you. Using music for the winter blues in this way also adds a social factor that can be highly uplifting. Whether you start a garage band or have weekly Zoom meetings to simply sing favorite songs in harmony with friends, this can be something you’ll look forward to all week long. Take that, SAD!
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