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With the dark nights and cold winter weather upon us even the most positive of us sometimes suffer from a case of the 'winter blues', which is characterised by low energy levels, short temper, vanishing motivation and mild depression.

For some the winter months mean a condition that is much more serious: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is thought to affect two million people in the UK.

But be positive it will stop snowing and warm up one day, but until then, there is no reason why you should be as gloomy as the winter weather. So here are some great ways to naturally beat the winter blues and lift your mood in the cold months.

Exercise & Yoga

Physical exercise has been proven to combat depression (one Duke University study found that exercise was more effective at treating depression than antidepressants). Exercise increases levels of endorphins in the body, which are known to make us happy. You do not have to do much exercise either - just 30 minutes a day for adults, even if it is just getting outdoors and going for a long walk.

Yoga is also fantastic for naturally lifting your mood as its deep breathing techniques bring balance to the nervous system while the poses themselves work to reduce stress hormones (like cortisol) and trigger the release of your body’s natural feel-good chemicals (serotonin and endorphins).

Winter depression makes us feel tired and sluggish and the last thing you probably feel like doing is breaking out your running shoes and yoga mat, but this is just a barrier you will have to break through and getting your heart rate up will get rid of those winter blues in no time.

Eat a healthy balanced diet

Eating healthy natural foods is important all year round, but in the winter months it is especially important as your body requires the nutrients to function properly, fight of colds and illness and give you the energy you need to fight depression.

Don’t give in to comfort eating, step away from the biscuit tin, carbohydrates and trans fats! The last thing you need right now is to put on weight, as this will only make you feel worse about yourself. Yeah we know this is tough this time of year but you will feel great by not giving in.

Make sure you eat plenty of ethically caught oily fish, Organic fruit & vegetables, raw nuts and seeds. Avoid caffeine and alcohol again we know this is a tough one especially in the festive season but alcohol is a depressant so really wont do you any good in shaking those winter blues.

Boost your immune system to prevent the common cold

The last thing you want to do is be taken to your bed feeling even more sorry for yourself. As they say, prevention is better than cure so ward off any illness before you have time to catch one of them.

Echinacea is brilliant at keeping out cold and flu, and can either be take in pill form or in tinctures, teas or directly eaten. If you feel yourself going down with a cold check out the article on ‘Natural home remedies for the common cold’ for lots of great natural remedies

Sleep well

You should not underestimate the difference sufficient sleep and a regular sleep pattern will have on fighting winter blues. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to establish a regular sleep pattern and ensure you get seven to eight hours sleep a night.

If you struggle getting to sleep try using lavender essential oil as it is especially good at calming the nervous system, relaxing the body and enabling blissful sleep. Try putting a bag of lavender under your pillow at night or use it through a diffuser, their loads of lovely lavender essential oils for sale at www.ethicalcommunity.com

If you have any tips that you find work well to naturally shake the winter blues be sure to add them as comments to this article