It is getting colder and the leaves are falling from the trees again. That means that the autumn dip is lurking again for many people. How do you ensure that you feel comfortable in your own skin despite the increasingly shorter days? Life coach Jos Arts from Eindhoven will help you on your way.
To start with, these ‘standard tips’ against an autumn dip:
- drink a lot of water,
- enough sleep,
- healthy food.
While this will probably help you a lot, there are many other things you can do as well.
Jos Arts is a life coach in Eindhoven and gives his most important tips. “People prefer a miracle cure, but it doesn’t exist. You have to take a different approach to autumn,” he says.
1. Accept gloomy feelings
According to Arts, with a fall slump, it’s especially important to accept that you’re feeling down for a while. “If we don’t like something, then it has to go. That’s the problem. Gloom is part of autumn. If you resist it, it gets worse. It has to get out.”
According to Arts, if you allow your gloomy feelings to go away very quickly. “Like a thunderstorm that passes: then the sun shines again. So sit on the couch with a blanket and cup of tea and sit down and gloat a bit.”
2. Avoid Negative Information
On cold days we often stay indoors and, according to Arts, we quickly reach for the remote control, telephone or newspaper. Doctor thinks that’s not smart.
“Those talk shows, podcasts, newspapers and social media only feed your head to start thinking again. We are inundated with information, especially now with all these crises. Try to skip negative information, it only turns your head working and you don’t want that.”
3. Get moving
“Go outside, despite the bad weather. Get moving,” advises Arts. Are you off the couch? Good! Then it’s time to put your senses to work.
“When you walk, take a good look at what you come across. Smell acorns, feel the wind blowing on your cheeks, pick up chestnuts, listen for anything. When you do that, you really enjoy your surroundings. If when you come home, your head is also a bit emptier than when you are only thinking while walking.” Another advantage: you sleep a lot better.
4. Do fun things
According to the life coach, we are always very focused on things we need to do. “Going to the hairdresser, cooking, gardening: we have to do everything. That takes loads of energy. Our head always wants to be useful. We think that if you do a lot, you are happy, but that is not the case.”
“Not everything has to be useful. Sit on the couch and look outside. Do things you enjoy, such as read a good book, do crafts or do something with the kids. Then you feed your heart and not your head. “
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