As springtime rolls around and the sun finally comes out, sometimes you just can’t help but get the blues. It sounds silly, because sunshine should equal happiness, but some days it means the opposite.

Get Moving
When you suffer from the blues, the last thing you want to do is go out and socialise. You especially don’t want to do any exercise, or anything that involves leaving the cocoon you’ve created for yourself in bed, but unfortunately, hitting the gym or going for a run is just the thing you need to kickstart yourself out of a funk. Get outdoors if you can, so the fresh air can lift your spirits, although working out indoors is a better bet than nothing.

Nourish yourself
Feeling down often makes you want to reach for the ice cream, biscuits and stodge, but that will only make you feel worse. Taking the time and making the effort to put yourself together something nutritious, healthy and delicious will change your mood much faster than a hit of sugar or fat that will only end in a crash later on. (If you really can’t face cooking, the wood fired eggs at Eco on Clapham High Street, or the pb&banana on sourdough from Look Mum, No Hands out East have magical healing powers that have to be eaten to be believed.)

Keep busy
Whether it’s reading a book, taking a walk, spending money or writing a blog, keeping yourself busy with something you’re passionate about is a surefire way to beat the blues in a productive, healthy way. One of my favourite ways to pick myself up is to hit the kitchen and try out one of the hundreds of recipes I have stashed away waiting to be experimented with. Chances are you might discover something both delicious and enjoyable, and even have something to show for it – as well as a smile.