Even though the holiday season is meant to be a time of joy, it’s also a time when a lot of people experience more depression.

So if you’re feeling down, it’s time to start thinking about things you can do to raise your frequency.

I feel it’s best to address depression naturally, from both a physical and spiritual dimension. It’s all about loving and cherishing yourself, and giving your mind, heart, and body what they need to thrive.

To that end, here are a few ideas to get your happiness juices flowing.

These tips are all interrelated, so for best results, do as many of them as you can. Doing them all on a regular basis may just elevate your mood so that depression is not an issue any longer!

1. Meditate.

Regular meditation is an effective treatment for many modern ailments such as stress, worry, lack of focus, relationship problems, addictions and more. It leads to peace of mind and wellbeing, greater focus, and creativity.

Make meditation part of your morning routine, and make it a joyful experience that you look forward to.

If you’re eating my Micronized Purple Rice, a good time to meditate is right after eating it first thing in the morning.

Start with only 10 minutes a day. Get comfortable (straight back), close your eyes, breathe deeply and slowly, and relax.

Everybody has “rabbit mind” in the beginning, so don’t think you can’t meditate because of that.

Your thoughts are running, and you’re thinking of everything you need to do. If you try to fight off these thoughts, they will only get worse.

Instead, just focus on your breathing. If an errant thought jumps up, just send it love and let it dissolve. Go back to focusing on your breathing. Deep and steady, quiet mind.

When you feel it’s been long enough, open your eyes. Or set a timer.

Some people light a candle and/or listen to a meditation or relaxation audio— there are lots of free ones online. Some people like to use audios with binaural beats or other types of brain entrainment. But with all the sound around us all the time—sometimes just quiet is best. 

I love to meditate outside and just breathe with the sounds of nature.

2. Focus on gratitude.

In our modern culture we tend to focus on what we don’t have. We are always focused on getting more, more, more. This sets us up to be unhappy!

Instead, focus on the things you do have, and feel grateful for them.

When I say things, I do not mean just material possessions. In fact the things that are most important in life are not possessions. As the saying goes, “The best things in life are free!” That includes friends, family, nature, beauty, grace, faith, love, and lots more.

Write in a gratitude journal. Every day, write down the things you are grateful for. Feel the love in your heart as you write. That loving energy from your heart chakra will radiate out, and depression will dissipate. You can also use photos or drawings in your gratitude journal. It’s your journal — you get to do it any way you want!

3. Make art! 

I love to color — it’s my therapy. Art is therapy.

I’m on the phone all day, and often while on the phone I will be coloring or doodling. As a kid, my most prized possession was my box of 64 crayons. So many colors! Everything from Cornflower Blue to Seafoam Green to Burnt Umber.

There are adult coloring books available today in every kind of design you can think of. And you’re not limited to crayons, either — try colored pencils, pastels, watercolor, or whatever other wonderful colors you can find.

To read my blog post all about coloring, CLICK HERE.

Or, if you’re not into coloring, try pottery! You can usually find a pottery class nearby. Connecting with the earthy feel of wet clay in your hands is very calming, and you end up with a nice new bowl, plate, cup, or whatever you wish!

4. Drink enough water. 

Dehydration causes many problems in our bodies and minds. Depression is often made worse by dehydration. It can also make us feel confused or unfocused, forgetful, fatigued or achy.

That’s why it’s so very important to drink enough fresh, pure water each day. Generally the recommendation is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. Be sure to get the best water you can. Tap water has things in it you don’t want in your body, and filtering it isn’t really enough unless you have a very good filter.

To learn more about a great way to get in more water, CLICK HERE.

5. Eat my Micronized Purple Rice.

Our mitochondria are crying out for ATP energy, and when they have it, our bodies just work better. Depression lifts. Sleep improves. And we have more energy during the day.

The nutrients in this rice are so small they can even cross the blood brain barrier and feed your brain cells.

Many people have experienced better mental health with Micronized Purple Rice. Lots of purple rice eaters say they feel calm and serene, focused, centered, and loving. I really believe it helps to raise our vibration!

For more about my purple rice and what it can do, CLICK HERE.

6. Get enough sleep.  

Our bodies heal when we are sleeping.

Often, lack of sleep and depression are a vicious cycle, with one leading to another. 

Remove the electronics from your bedroom to quiet your environment.  Make your bedroom a sweet place for deep quiet sleep.  Prepare for bed early.  Drink a big glass of good water, wash up, let your body quiet down.  

Meditation, spiritual reading, writing in your journal are all good preparation to quiet your mind before sleeping.

Adding my Micronized Purple Rice to your daily routine morning and evening and drinking plenty of water will help you to sleep deeper and sounder.   

7. Pamper yourself! 

Often, part of overcoming depression is practicing self-love. Think back to a time when you were deeply in love with someone.  Then turn that feeling on yourself. After all, YOU are the most important person in your life!

Pampering can mean anything — whatever feels good to you.

It could mean a day at a luxurious spa or a hike on a sunny day.

It could mean a nice bubble bath, with your favorite candles and some relaxing music. Or you could go get a pedicure with a friend!

8. Get enough light. 

This can be hard to do in winter if you live in a northern climate. Many people are affected by seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

Things that help include getting outside in nature when you can, and making the most of whatever daylight you have. You can also get a special light that replicates sunlight in your home, and have it on for a time during the day.  

Light therapy affects brain chemicals linked to mood and helps with depression, sleep disorders and other conditions. It is also known as bright light therapy or phototherapy.

Also be sure to get enough Vitamin D, especially in winter, when sunlight is in short supply. Vitamin D is the sunlight vitamin — our bodies can’t make it without sunlight, so many of us need to supplement in winter.

9. Exercise! 

Improved mood and self-esteem are just some of the psychological benefits of exercise.

Try to do some form of movement that feels really good to you. You don’t have to log long hours in the gym or pound the pavement running. You can do swimming, yoga or tai chi, or bowling or racquetball — even chasing butterflies, if that’s more your speed!

The point is just to get your blood flowing.

When you get moving, your body releases chemicals called endorphins, which reduce pain.

I like to ride my bike in my quiet little neighborhood during the day…and I love to swim under the stars at night before bed (Sorry-I live in Florida and can do that all year long).

10. Find support.

Especially if you live alone, develop a support network.

Find people to talk to and spend time with. Try to do meaningful activities with them. Try out some local churches, or take a class…maybe an art class. Look on bulletin boards at your local stores.

Get on the Internet and look for Meetups. Most cities have these. There are Meetups for all kinds of things! Usually they are free, or very low cost.

11. Volunteer! 

 Just focusing on someone else’s needs besides your own is often enough to make us feel better.

Opportunities to volunteer abound — try your local food bank or soup kitchen, or be a Big Brother or Big Sister.

Or, if you feel you don’t have time to get involved in organized volunteer activities, just go see a sick friend in the hospital, or offer to take a friend’s child to the park for a few hours.

Do something for someone else—it will make you both feel good.

We know so many things to do that can make us feel better naturally—let’s love ourselves enough to do them.

Let me know in the comments, what’s your favorite thing to do to help you feel better?