In the Pacific Northwest, fall brings shorter days, cloudy skies, and often, lower moods.  Many people struggle to stay motivated as daylight fades, the skies get cloudier, and the rains begin to fall in earnest.  While it’s tempting to stay indoors, that’s not always the best solution— although there are certainly enjoyable things to do inside, too.

Why Listen to Me?

I am a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of experience working as a psychotherapist, specializing in mood and anxiety disorders.  I have helped thousands of people live happier, more fulfilling lives—and I am also a published researcher.

Resist the Urge to Hibernate 

We’re not bears, and hibernating won’t help us feel better.  Those who spend long hours in bed or on the couch scrolling through their phones tend to feel worse, not better.  Humans need a balance— variety, social interaction, and meaningful alone time all play important roles in mental health.

Everyone’s social needs are different.  Introverted individuals might feel recharged after occasional social contact, while extroverts may need connection several times a week.  While work can provide some interaction, we also benefit from deeper, more personal connections with close friends.  Reflect on how often you socialize with your friends and how it affects your mood.  If you’re not feeling as well as you’d like to, you may need more frequent or more meaningful social time.  

I’m not suggesting that there aren’t other ways to feel better, like thinking more positively or meditating, only that this post is focusing on activities.

Finding Joy in the Weather

Many people slow down in the winter, but doing less often worsens mood.  Instead, find ways to embrace the season. Take a walk in the rain with an umbrella or with your hood up and listen to the sound of the rain drops, feel the cool air, and enjoy the moment.  This can be both fun and meditative.  Put on rubber boots (or not) and jump in puddles to reconnect with our playful side and bring us gleeful joy.  Head to the mountains to go skiing or snowboarding.  The key is to find joy in the weather that we have.  Enjoy the bundling up to go for a walk. Or conversely, savor the simple joy of building and watching a fire burn.  

The key is to find joy in the weather you have, not the weather you wish for.  Experiment with different activities and frequency, and gradually increase them until your mood has improved.

Track You Mood and Activities

You might also find it helpful to track your mood and pleasant activities to better understand how they relate.   The photo attached shows a mood tracker designed by the Oregon Research Institute.  T

Start by identifying two anchor points:

• “Sad example” (1): A time when you felt your worst.
• “Happy example” (7): A time when you felt your best.

A 4 represents feeling neutral—not sad, not happy, just “okay”.  Try tracking only your mood for three to seven days to get a baseline.

Next, brainstorm a list of at least 20 pleasant activities.  Include:

• Social activities (some should be in-person)
• Solo activities/success activities (such as hobbies, reading, work, or household chores or projects)
• Soothing activities (like meditation, listening to music, yoga, or taking a hot bath)

Notice which activities truly engage you— those that make you lose track of time have the greatest impact on mood.  Please make sure to have some of these on your tracking column down the right side of the sheet.  Then you’ll start tracking your mood and pleasant activities and see how they relate.    I recommend using the arm of the pleasant activity tracker to write in the number of each activity you did that day.  In this way, if two days have the same number of activities, but very different moods, you can compare which activities you did.

After tracking both mood and pleasant activities for  a couple of weeks, calculate your average mood (add all your scores for two weeks and divide by 14).  If your mood isn’t where you would like it to be, increase your pleasant activities by one each day.  Even small increases can make a measurable difference—research consistently shows that this strategy helps improve mood.

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