Have you been feeling a little down lately? Would you like to know a quick technique for boosting your mood that does not involve doing or consuming anything illegal, immoral, or over 2000 calories?
Do one new thing today.
Go browse in the ethnic market downtown, walk the dog in a different direction, read the sports section (if you usually skip it), buy an eggplant (or jicama, or spaghetti squash) and learn how to prepare it (from youtube videos, your neighbor, or a cookbook), listen to opera if you usually prefer country (just one song, you might like it), or simply wave and call out "hello!" to the teen-ager down the street when he zooms past you on his skateboard.
Novelty can help shake some of the dust off of our routines and make us feel more alive. Of course, doing one new thing is not the only treatment for depression, and it can not cure a major depressive episode. But for the seasonal blahs that many of us feel this time of year when the days are growing shorter and the routine of school (for you or your kids/grandkids) has set in, it can be a welcome boost.
So think up some new thing to do, and go to it!
