Daylight Saving Time – Gina

It’s that time of year again – in the United States Daylight Savings Time begins tomorrow morning! The time shifts this coming Sunday and it’s important to remember that this change can impact your mood.

Research has shown that shifting your sleep cycle to getting up later can increase your risk for depression. This time change already comes during a period of increased risk as the days have been becoming shorter and the change in seasons is leading to greyer sky.

That being said, you can take action to help reduce the risk of a drop in your mood come Sunday. By continuing to wake up according to your “same schedule”, instead of getting up an hour later, use that “extra time” to do something healthy in the morning and limit the impact the time change has on your mood.

Below are a few suggestions of things you can do beginning Sunday morning!

  1.  Go outdoors and get some sun in the early morning.  If you combine going out early with some physical activity, like taking a walk or going for a bike ride, you’ll be getting two of the most powerful anti-depressant interventions that we know of.
  2.  Try beginning a mindfulness or yoga practice in the morning. You can check out one of the many excellent apps, such as Calm or Headspace, and spend your extra morning time engaging in a practice that can positively impact your mood with minimal effort.
  3.  Consider starting a morning journal routine.  Use your reflecting time to think about how your life embodies your values in your decisions and actions throughout the day. Aligning your actions with your values can have a profound effect on your mood, and your life.

If these specific suggestions don’t resonate with you, get creative in thinking about other healthy activities you can do instead of sleeping in. It will be worth your time!