I personally have a much harder time going to the gym at 6 a.m. The solution is to stay active and engaged with loved ones even when it is hard to do. If we allow these hormone levels to get too low we donвЂ™t have the energy we need to stimulate them so it becomes a vicious cycle. For example, yoga stimulates dopamine, exercise stimulates serotonin and endorphins, and connecting with loved ones stimulates oxytocin. In general, one of the best ways to emulate these hormones is through activity. TheyвЂ™re known as the вЂњhappy hormones.вЂќ These hormones are dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. Our brains make four hormones that directly impact our levels of happiness. The good news is that there are many things we can do in addition to changing the way we think that actually do help with SADS and winter blues. In the U.S., one in five adults experiences a significant mood change once winter rolls in.В This change is known as either seasonal affective disorder (вЂњSADвЂќ), or as the less severe winter blues. If, on the other hand, you say to yourself вЂњIt is cozy and warm in here.вЂќ The feelings you have maybe comfort and peace. It may be sadness, depression, or anxiety. If you say to yourself вЂњIt is so gray and ugly outвЂќ make note of the feelings you have when you make that statement. If we use neutral words we will experience neutral or even positive feelings. If we use a negative word we will experience negative feelings. This is awesome in as much as we have complete control of the words we use. I teach my patients that words have power and depending upon the words they use, they can bring on either positive or negative feelings. They also use a technique in applying Hygge that I use to help patients overcome anxiety and depression. In other words, individuals in Scandinavian countries take advantage of the winter weather to congregate and connect and to stay active. So they take advantage of the snow by sledding, skiing, ice-skating, etc. The people of Scandinavia are also very active winter sports enthusiasts. Or it can mean enjoying a simple, homemade soup with your family, in a candle-lit room brimming with happy conversation. Living the hygge way can mean spending time snuggled up with friends around a roaring fire while laughing and sharing stories late into the night. WhatвЂ™s the Scandinavian secret to surviving long, cold, dark winters and still staying happy? They call it Hygge (pronounced Hug-guh.) In a nutshell, it reminds people to celebrate living, seek out simple pleasures, and find comfort in connecting with others. Yet despite the long and very dark winter, these countries regularly rank as some of the happiest in the world. Winter in Scandinavia, which includes Denmark, Norway, and Sweden вЂ“ often lasts from November through April. Scandinavians survive some of the darkest, coldest days on earth. WouldnвЂ™t that be nice?ДЇor example, Scandinavians are some of the happiest people in the world despite the fact that they have one of the longest and most dismal winter seasons. In other words, if we change the way we think about the dismal winter weather, we may change the way we feel about it and get through it with less depression and anxiety. But there is some interesting data to suggest that itвЂ™s more about the way we interpret the gloomy days than it is about the lack of light. What is it really about the dark mornings and evenings that make this time of year so difficult? You have probably heard of seasonal affective disorder, in which people become depressed and are treated with light therapy. But worst of all, itвЂ™s dark when you get up and itвЂ™s dark when you go to bed. The holiday is over, the bills are coming in, everyone went back home, and you are either going back to school or back to work.

Blues schedule