13 Ways to Conquer the Moody Season

When you live coastal in southern California, the transition from spring to summer brings two full months of grey weather. We call it May-gray and June-gloom. If we’re lucky, it might even drizzle a bit. I enjoyed the last days of April lounging outside, listening to the leisures of birds singing and warm rays of sunshine enticing me to close my eyes. Soon the sun would make only rare appearances and I need to prepare to shield myself from seasonal depression. 

So what’s a gal do in the moody season to be muster through? Here are 13 ways to be productive, improve your mood and count down the days until summer.

1. Spring Clean – decluttering, cleaning and organizing is symbolic to clearing old, stale, negative energy from your life. Reorganize the closet, or garage, purge the clutter, or power wash that outdoor area in anticipation of summer and all of its visitors.
2. Redecorate – shop for a small item to bring into the home, or if you have been holding off making a large purchase such as a new mattress or grill, Spring is the best time for sales on these types of purchases. It’s ok to splurge once in a while. If you’re on a tight budget, try rearranging your furniture or simply adding flowers to a room.
3. Move your body– The golden rule when you mood starts slipping. Dedicate time each day to move your body. Doing this benefits the mind first and foremost, improves the mood and increases energy on days when the weather begs for a nap. Bonus perk: movement helps get my body in shape for upcoming bikini season. It’s a win-win, everything pivots around this one and really should top the list.
4. Still your mind– Take time to be one with yourself. Meditation is like a muscle in your mind that needs flexed. Thousand of thoughts a day need moments of stillness to rebuild and grow stronger. Adding a short meditation to your routine has dozens of health benefits and aids in being less-reactive in stress provoking situations.
5. Choose your thoughts and actions- We may not choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we respond. Take time to honor your feelings, but treat them like the tide, flowing in for a while, and eventually back out. 
6. Get creative – Try a new creative skill or revisit an old one. Dust off those paint brushes, write a story or sign up for a class. The beautiful thing about creativity is anything goes. Some of my best photography were photos are taken on grey, moody days. When you get lost in a creative activity, hours tend to pass by like moments.
7. Challenge yourself to learn something new – Stimulate the mind. The learning process can actually grow grey matter in the brain. Make this as simple or as complicated as you like. I enjoy reading non-fiction and challenging myself to improve my technical skills. 
8. Self-Care – Decide to make yourself a priority. I can’t stress this enough! This can be a spontaneous splurge or a series of regular scheduled appointments. Try a massage, energy work (reiki, acupuncture), a new haircut or treat yourself to a healthy meal eaten slowly and savored. Any one of those things can instantly boost a mood. My fave is to take a warm salt bath while listening to a guided meditation, then do my Zen botanical skincare routine, then crawl into bed anticipating a great night’s sleep. Check out the app InsightTimer or Calm.
9. Socialize – It’s important to connect with friends and family, especially if the weather has kept you in a cave for days on end. Meetup.com has an endless stream of events and available in most cities.
10. Be Grateful – Make it a habit to look for things to be grateful for each day. With a sense of gratitude comes fulfillment and joy. No longer focusing on what we don’t have, but rather the abundance we do have.
11. Simply Smile – A gift we all can give ourselves and share freely with others. Even when I’m having a bad day, smiling simply makes me feel better, improves my appearance and can be quite contagious. Try it with a stranger, I bet you get a smile back.
12. Seek out new music and dance like you just don’t care! Discovering new artists can be exciting. I use the Shazam app all the time. One new catchy tune can take me on a tangent to an entire afternoon of music discoveries. Creating playlists for the various scenarios in life can be fun too.
13. Make Summer Plans – I love the anticipation of an upcoming event or getaway. Almost more so than the actual event. Having something to look forward to can boost a mood instantly. It doesn’t have to be extravagant either. Outdoor movies and concerts in the park top my list each year. I’m more excited about who I’m sharing time with.

To truly conquer any moody season, the answer lies in the balance of the body, mind, heart and soul. Identify areas in your life that may be deficient, then take the time to nurture and bring those areas back into balance, creating a new routine for yourself if needed. It’s important to strive for balance over perfection. Like the sea, we ebb and flow to the world around us. Be patient and be kind as you go through the moody season, and just know- we all have those days sometimes.   

Lets chat about it. What are some of the things you do to transition through a moody season? (comment below)