How’s it going ???　こんにちは♪

11月も終わりに近付いてきましたね。今年も残り少なくなってきました。今年のバンクーバーは寒くなってくるのが早い気がします。ノースバンクーバーの山には雪が積もっているのが見られます。そして雨が多くなってきました〜。皆さんはいかがお過ごしでしょうか？

毎年のこととはいえ、この雨の季節、結構どんよりとしがちですよね。朝起きてもまだ薄暗い、そして夕方も早くから暗くなってくる〜。夏とは大違いのバンクーバーですが、実はこんな気候はヨーロッパの国々も同じらしいです。先日ドイツに住む友達も同じようなことを言っていました。でも日本は冬といえば、寒いですが快晴の日々ですもんね！

さて今日のブログのテーマは、

バンクーバーにいる留学生やワーホリの人で、最近の自分、ちょっとイライラしたり怒りっぽい！？と思った人はいませんか？もしくは妙にやる気が出ない！？など。。

です。もし思い当たる人がいれば、そんな人もしかすると軽い鬱になっているのかもしれません。カナダ人はこれから時期、鬱っぽい人が増える傾向にあります。太陽光線が少なくなるこれからの季節、鬱になる人が多いという統計が出ているのです！

英語にて紹介していますが、そんなに難しい文章ではないので、ぜひ読んでみてくださいね。英語初心者の人にも良い勉強になるかもしれません！

DEPRESSION TIPS

Shower

Not a bath, a shower. Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.

Moisturize everything

Use whatever lotion you like. Unscented? Dollar store lotion? Fancy 48 hour lotion that makes you smell like a field of wildflowers? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire dermis

Put on

clean, comfortable clothes.

Put on your favorite underwear. Cute black lacy panties? Those ridiculous boxers you bought last Christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? Put them on.

Drink cold water

Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.

Clean something

Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink.

Blast music

Listen to something upbeat and dancey and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

Make food

Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.

Make something

Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.

Go outside

Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

Call someone

Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps.

Cuddle your pets

if you have them/can cuddle them. Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out, anything.

May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.

***At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on.

*** In case nobody has told you today I love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing!!!