Need Some Help Tackling the Autumn Blues?
As our favourite season seems to have ended abruptly, we say farewell to the afternoons spent in the park and the boozy BBQs round at friends.
Gone are the long days of sun which are instead replaced by duvet days and mornings spent in bed. But the change in weather and behaviours can be problematic and can often result in several months of feeling flat, fed up and mourning the summer which feels like an eternity ago.
To help avoid the post-summer slump, we’ve comprised some mood boosters and handy hints to help you breeze through the season with a smile, and it involves being proactive and ordering your fuels now.
1. Crack that sleeping pattern
Waking up exhausted and feeling like it’s an impossible task to get out of bed? Us too.
Increased hours of darkness can cause higher levels of melatonin (the sleep hormone) which can make you feel sleepy in the day but fidgety at night.
Instead of surviving off an endless stream of coffee consumption which overrides our natural sleep/wake systems, stick to a routine and make sure you go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
Apple devices even have a Bedtime feature built into the Clock that tells you to go to sleep at a specific time you decide on. Then each evening it blinks awake to remind you to go to bed. Genius, right?
2. Force yourself to get outside in a morning
With the shorter and darker days, lack of sunlight can trigger seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which can leave you feeling depressed and exhausted.
Scientists recommend getting outside for just half an hour between 6am and 10am when daylight is at its strongest. Exposure to early morning light helps reset our internal body clock and tackle SAD.
3. Keep a food diary
The dark months reduce our body’s production of serotonin (the happy hormone). This makes us crave comfort food and serotonin-boosting carbs like pasta, rice and potatoes (which can pile on the pounds).
Putting pen to paper and keeping track of what you consume will help prevent you from falling into dangerous habits and help you resist the urge to tuck into sweet snacks. Sweet potato and pumpkins (which are swarming the shelves this October anyway) are a great source of vitamin C, fibre and antioxidant.
4. Plan your week
Firstly, it starts at home. Sundays are a great time to plan your weekly exercise regime, prep your meals and decide on your outfits for the week. That way, your mornings will run more smoothly and can be used for more useful things like morning exercise and eating breakfast. You’ll be sure to arrive at work on Monday ready to conquer the world.
Likewise, To-Do Lists are a great way to gain clear visibility of what you need to do, both in work and outside of work. Trello is a useful Internet Browser version that sets out To Do, Doing and Done. That way, you’ll gain a great sense of accomplishment once completed.
5. Organise your space
Organisation is key to getting things done. If your house or flat is a mess, you’ll likely feel as if your life is a bit of a mess too. Similarly, the same prospect applies to your desk and office. Untidiness can cause your stresses to carry over into the next week and so on, and with serotonin levels decreased lower in autumn, it’s important to keep stresses to a minimum.
6. Plan something to look forward to
With summer a distant memory and Christmas still only on the horizon, it can be hard to feel motivated during October and November.
To combat this, we recommend planning something fun to help you get through the gloomy months. Little and often is a good approach to take.
Or if you’re in a lucky enough position to do so, get planning your summer trip so you’ve got something to get excited for. But remember, don’t wish the months away, because time really is flying by and before we know it, it’ll be 2019 and that’s a scary thought…
7. Try something new
Psychologist Avy Joseph suggests starting by achieving something small, such as reading that book you’ve been trying to for ages, making sure you get to that yoga class you’ve wanted to try or learn a new language if you’ve got the time. Keeping yourself busy will make the cold months fly by.
8. Have an autumn detox – Sober October?
After all the summer drinking and partying, your liver probably feels like it needs a good rest anyway. Booze affects your levels of tryptophan, the amino acid needed for mood-lifting serotonin to be produced.
Stick to water and juices for a month (or a week if you’re struggling) and see if you feel a difference!
9. Work out!
A study from the Journal of Exercise Physiology reveals that exercise is essential for increasing productivity, perceived job satisfaction and even reduces the urge of nonattendance.
When it’s cold we’re all guilty of ditching the gym after we’ve smashed our summer body target. After all, we can hide our winter bodies with jumpers and scarves, right?
But ditching those healthy habits over the cold dark months can do more damage than it’s worth. Not only is it twice as hard to lose those extra gained pounds, but: “Many people end up ditching the gym once summer’s over, but that’s exactly the time you need to dig deep and find some extra motivation, as research shows exercise can boost your mood” says Celebrity Trainer Ellia Siaperas.
Group exercise or training with a friend are both a great way to keep each other motivated.
10. Order your fuels, oils and lubricants ahead of the busy winter period
Whether you need red diesel (gas oil), road diesel (DERV), kerosene, industrial heating oil, adBlue or lubricants, you need to make sure you plan ahead this autumn. Waiting until the last minute to order your fuels can cause unnecessary stress and be a nightmare to manage.
Bad weather can delay delivery times, prices can surge when demand increases and you can end up waiting for that heavily sought fuel delivery.
By choosing Nationwide Fuels, you’re guaranteed a total fuel solution you can rely on to give you peace of mind not just this autumn but all year round.
It’s in our name and we truly mean it, we provide fuel, oil and lubricants deliveries to businesses and homes all over the UK.
We have a wide range of tankers on hand to enable us to navigate country roads in bad weather and those to transport large bulk amounts.
What’s more, if you find yourself in a situation where you require emergency fuel, we can be with you within a matter of hours, with our fuel depots located all over the country. Our emergency fuel delivery service is available 24/7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, so with us, you’ll never go without!
It really couldn’t be easier with Nationwide, from free fuel management by your very own dedicated Account Manager to ensure you never run out to fuel tank storage solutions, whatever your requirements, we guarantee to have them covered.