It's halfway through January and all the bright lights of Christmas are being switched off in town centres across the country, leaving us struggling with our New Year's resolutions in the dark. When the days are damp and dreary, our brains stop being happy (according to science). We're penny pinching and feeling deprived. We're too cold to exercise (or do anything but complain about being cold), and we've given up chocolate in the hopes that it balances out, and we're complaining about that too. (Please tell me I'm not the only one!)
I decided to do a little research on how to be happier during the Winter, and came up with this: endorphins. Endorphins are that rush we get when we exercise, eat delicious food (the two things we just gave up…) get excited, and fall in love. So, I decided to battle the winter blues with science. How can we all get more endorphins and, consequently, happiness, into this freezing, grey, miserable, depressing, thankless January we're all trapped in?
One way of slightly improving your day, and your sleep, is to get an S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder) lamp, which simulates sunset and sunrise, sending you into a lovely deep sleep, and waking you up with the false promise of a sunny morning – by the time you realise it's sleeting and the buses aren't running, you're already out of bed. But this doesn't stop the mid-morning slump (only biscuits and a mug of tea can do that) or get you through the day/week/month/season.
In lieu of falling in love, which unfortunately can't be planned, or staged (more than once, anyway), we can go for some excitement, which can be planned! Theme parks might be closed for winter, but there are other ways of getting the adrenaline (and endorphins) pumping. Trying something new is always a winner, and what's more terrifying than getting up in front of a room full of strangers and trying to make them laugh? Stand-up comedy is the new bungee jumping, and Funny Women are putting on a weekend of workshops and comedy where you'll be encouraged to be as funny as you can be. Whether you're the life and hoot of the party, or you've never told a joke in your life, by the end of this weekend, you'll be high as a kite on endorphins and confidence – a boost which should see you through 'til Spring!
If you'd rather laugh AT people than have them laugh at you, there's always London Nights, with award winner Lucy Beaumont, Funny Women Awards 2012 runner-up Katie Tracey and musical comedy genius Tamar Broadbent. If they don't get you laughing (which is just another form of excitement, right?) then it might be time for you to move to a country where winter never comes.
Amelia Wells
