Banish Those Winter Blues

For one in five North Americans, the Winter Blues will soon begin to set in. About a quarter of these will suffer from the more serious Seasonal Affective Disorder; but this can be avoided by cultivating a few simple habits.

Calgary, AB (PRWEB) September 28, 2006 -- Summer draws to a close, the days grow shorter, and temperatures drop. Kids are back at school and that upbeat summer vacation feeling is fading.

For one in five North Americans, the Winter Blues will soon begin to set in. About a quarter of these will suffer from the more serious Seasonal Affective Disorder, with the appropriate acronym, SAD.

Winter Blues is a widely known but little understood phenomenon, which causes unhappiness to sufferers, with symptoms which include irritability, apathy, reduced self-esteem, increased appetite and weight, concentration difficulties, and even the feeling that life is not worth living.

As life becomes ever more stressful, and conflicting demands on time and attention vie for a limited number of hours, state of mind becomes more important. The beneficial effect a happy disposition has on health and productivity is well known.

According to author David Ambrose, we can increase our happiness to fight off those Winter Blues and avoid seasonal mood fluctuations.

Just as the warmer, longer, sunlit days brighten our surroundings and mood; so the cultivation of a few simple habits can help to maintain that feeling of happiness and wellbeing all year long.

It's part of Ambrose's philosophy that genuine happiness is achievable by anyone. It has nothing to do with DNA, wealth, beauty, fame, or any of the superficial trappings often associated with happiness. Happiness, he says, comes from within.

"Ultimately, we all want to be happy; and absolutely everything we do is aimed at increasing our happiness," says Ambrose. "And yet, we often do things that actually move us in the opposite direction!"

Author of "Your Life Manual: Practical Steps to Genuine Happiness," he continues: "We are all meant to be happy, but because of the way society has evolved, there are key realizations which have been lost along the way. By addressing and re-assimilating these into our lives, we amplify our predisposition to happiness."

Ambrose offers workshops teaching how to gain personal power and success through happiness, during which he highlights intriguing concepts such as:

* Understanding that all feelings are good: we merely have to learn to interpret their message;

* Not all selfishness is bad: each and every one of us are important too;

* Realizing that the power of our mind is far greater than we think: each person makes a choice whether to use it or not; and

* Resisting things we cannot control is an enormous waste of effort which we should rather utilize for positive results.

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