• Take a walk every day. Exercise is known to lift our mood. As you walk take deep breathes and appreciate what is going on around you. A walk in the park is ideal but not always possible. I heard a tip on the radio today that if you cannot walk in the park try and walk in a churchyard – a quiet place which is often green and quiet!
• Focus on the positives in your life rather than the negative. Stress and anxiety feed on negative thoughts and turn what might be a sunny day into gloom. When you are unhappy or dissatisfied it is hard to put a positive spin on life so start with some basics – if you are reading this you can see and the gift of sight is certainly worthy of celebrating!
• The past is the past and cannot be changed and who knows what the future holds! Live for today, in the present, and enjoy every moment. You will find you will be far less anxious if you stop thinking "what if".
• When we are depressed and anxious there is a tendency to turn our attention inwards. Beating yourself up is pointless, turn your attention instead to improving your life. Think about helping others, join a group or just get out and meet friends. Sometimes it is necessary to push yourself to make contact with friends but believe me the effort is worth it and you will feel so much better after a good laugh with friends.

The sun may not shine every day but living life in colour with positive thoughts at the forefront will certainly lift your mood a notch or two.

If you are suffering from low mood and negative thoughts and feel you are unable to tackle some of the issues in your life alone then call us for a FREE 15 minute informal chat. Stress and anxiety counselling may be able to help you. We offer telephone and email counselling at reasonable rates and have 25 years experience of helping clients suffering from depression, stress and anxiety. Call us on 0208 9541593 or email us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Have a nice day and let the sun shine in!