It’s now autumn, and I always feel sorrowful and morose during this season. Plus now, with the coronavirus I feel even more depressed. What can I do in order to cheer me up?

Thank you so much for your question, you’re certainly not alone in feeling this way right now. When the weather changes in fall and winter, it’s not uncommon for people to experience tough feelings for a number of reasons – it’s getting darker earlier, we may be spending more time indoors than we might normally like to, and it can sometimes feel harder to stay connected. Adding on the stresses and possible isolation related to coronavirus, it makes sense that this year might be feeling especially hard.

To cope with all this, it’s important to think about what usually brings you happiness – this varies from person to person but there’s a lot of options that it might be helpful to consider making some time for these days. Also, it can be especially helpful during these colder months to check in and see how you’re treating your body – for example, are you getting enough sleep, eating enough of foods that make you feel good physically and emotionally, drinking enough water, and spending some time outside? These are all great ways to work on getting through this difficult time, but if you’re still struggling we’d recommend discussing with your doctor to see what else might be helpful and to possibly get some extra support.


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