How You Can Fight SAD!

Yep, the clocks are going back this week Sunday in England to retain some daylight and winter is on its way and here to stay, well, for a good few months anyway!

  • Are you fully equipped?
  • Are you prepared?
  • Have you heard of SAD and do you know what it is?
  • Do you / Could you be suffering from SAD?

Well, let me fill you in…

A type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

Let me tell ya!….

I am definitely a summer baby and my mood is certainly perkier in the summer months. I’m more of a go getter and confident and wanting to be outdoors when the sun is out and it’s warm.

BUT, when the weather is gloomy, raining (particularly that annoying rain, where it’s not really raining but it’s raining as though Someone is consistently spitting in your face), windy and cold I can tell you for free that I’d rather be at home all cosy, hibernating and staying warm. I have no interest in being outside in the winter months unless I REALLY have to.

How do you know if you suffer from SAD and what are the symptoms?

Well… here are the symptoms:-

Symptoms of SAD

Symptoms of SAD can include:

  • a persistent low mood 
  • a loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities 
  • irritability 
  • feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness 
  • feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day 
  • sleeping for longer than normal and finding it hard to get up in the morning 
  • craving carbohydrates and gaining weight (this is so me…)

I’ve done my research and these are the top…

6 Ways You Can Punch Up SAD!

  1. Get up and Go Out! – Yep unfortunately that’s the highest recommendation I can give you. Don’t think about how cold it is just get up and get out- I’m afraid you’ll have to brace it and face it.
  2. Eat up Love! – Get those Complex carbohydrates in you, they can really help maintain levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood.  Complex carbohydrates are found in foods such as peas, beans, whole grains, and vegetables. These are very simple and complex carbohydrates which are turned to glucose (blood sugar) in the body and then this in turn ignites your body with energy.
  3. Try some Light therapy – Is a special lamp called a light box which is used to imitate the appearance and exposure of sunlight. Or even better go out for 10 mins and absorb some natural sunlight and get some vitamin D.
  4. Get some exercise on – Netflix and Chill will have to chill I’m afraid. You need to head to the gym or run around and get your sweat on. Once your endorphins have increased from your exercise then you will begin to feel more cheerful and your mood will gradually bounce back. You can’t go for one day and pack it in though, make sure you keep it up, it doesn’t have to be an extensive workout at all- little and often will do just the trick! According to a study, physical exercise works like some anti- depressants to alter brain chemistry.
  5. Talk it Out! Invite some friends around, arrange an outing or just pickup the phone and have a conversation – Just get talking! When you’re not feeling spontaneous, you’re cold and just want to stay in and be cosy you must be around outgoing people they can subconsciously pick up your mood or even encourage you to go out.
  6. Stay warm – OK OK, you won here! You have to stay cosy and warm whilst you do all of the above. Feeling cold if you don’t like it, can actually make you feel more depressed and uncomfortable and totally grumpy. So wrap up like a burrito if you’re going out and if you’re indoors crank up the heating to you comfortable sauna setting and most importantly stay HAPPY.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found some useful tips. If you have any useful ideas that you think can help someone too please share in the comments below.

It would also be interesting to know how many other people suffer from SAD.

Love Mummanopoly 💋

Let me leave you with a quote of the day….

Remember you can also catch me on

Instagram : Here

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Say hey Mumma! 👋🏾 on my other platforms and I’ll know you’re from my blog family.

Stay tuned for my next post on ‘My First Look Book.’

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10 Steps to Motivation!

“You cannot act like Flip Flops and expect to be treated like Louboutins.” 👠

Sorry, we’re just not having it!

Man!!! I love this quote!

….But isn’t it just sooooo true!

You can’t put in 1% effort and expect 100% outcome and this is with everything in life.

We all have can’t be bothered days but everyday we choose not to be bothered it will not push a better tomorrow.

The more you push in today, the further you’ll get, in tomorrow! -Mummanopoly

(Did I hear preach girl!) – Thank you!

Hustle today for a better tomorrow, you’ll thank yourself for it!

As a busy mum it’s ridiculously easy to forget about yourself and your ambitions or goals.

By the time everything’s done…. (let me not bring out the list of things to do) work, cooking, cleaning, kids activities, homework, shopping, laundry…errr excuse me 👋🏾 and where is time for me?

Uh huh, precisely, a conscious effort to stay motivated is so so so important!… Otherwise you’ll be chilling in your flip flops whilst everyone walks past you in their Louboutins. Okay OK! That was a dry joke but you get the gist right…

Have a look at some of the things below which keep me motivated.

10 Steps to Motivate Yourself!

  1. Read Motivational books (The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins is a great read!)
  2. Listen to Motivational videos (YouTube it! I love me some T.D. Jakes)
  3. Speak positively about everything (yep everything)
  4. Hang around with Happy people
  5. Hang around with Positive people
  6. Frequently engage with people who are Successful. (Particularly in your chosen field)
  7. Motivate others ( It will also motivate you)
  8. Plan things in advance to look forward to.
  9. Create a routine of things which make you feel positive about yourself.
  10. At the end of each day write what you have achieved. ( Trust me when you look back you’ll be like Wow!)
  • Comment below and let me know how you keep yourself motivated!
  • Check out my Instagram for more inspirational quotes too and if you visit don’t forget to say “Hey Mumma!” I’ll know you’re a fellow blogger!
  • Instagram.com/mummanopoly
  • Stay motivated..
  • Mummanopoly 💋
  • Procrastination

    Procrastination is an abomination!

    Procrastination, is the thing that takes over you and causes hesitation.

    Procrastination is like waiting at the station but not boarding the train to your final destination.

    …but I won’t forget to mention, how it creates so much tension and immense deep rooted self-frustration.

    You allow all of distraction to prevent you from taking action.

    Tomorrow is a new day we say.

    Constant self reminders, however, day by day it’s all left behind us.

    …and before you know it… it’s been 7 days and before you know it… it’s been 8 weeks and before you know it… it’s been 9 months and before you know it….. nothings changed…

    So if there needs to be a change, then make a change!

    So I changed from being negative to a mental state of positive and when I became positive it made me more proactive and when I became proactive it made me feel more reactive and when I felt more reactive I began to feel more active and when I felt more active….

    …Everything is more seamless and the possibilities are simply endless…

    Procrastination is an abomination!

    💛 Mummanopoly 💋

    Mum on the Blog!

    Hello my lovelies,

    I have been missing in action for a moment…

    It’s been a great ordeal with my children’s father since we separated in 2015 to finalise our extensive court order surrounding contact arrangements.

    It’s taken a little over 18 months to have it all final and written in stone about how future contact arrangements shall be.

    Initially I struggled with the thought of being away from my children and not being there to witness some key moments in their lives as I have always been there and able to.

    This weekend however, really heightened the reality of how life will be going forward, co-parenting and not having the children on all weekends etc.

    So I told myself, Let’s NOT get caught up in the feelings, and who wants to live there anyway? There’s no happiness where negative thoughts and feelings reside.

    ….And then I thought to myself… GIIIIIRL! You just need to take this opportunity to remember who you are when the mummy hat is removed and embrace every moment!

    I completely changed my perception on things, because that’s what it really boils down to at the end of the day, our perception.

    Our perception about things in life can make or break us and we need to be really in-tune with our thoughts which in turn will have a huge impact on our feelings.

    I realised that actually, lets flip the script here… I can really use this time to recharge and be fresh and rejuvenated for when the kids are back with me and do the things I once loved before being a mother:- such as singing, song writing, dancing, reading, long baths, drawing and the list goes on.

    Sooooo….

    Here’s to self love and self care. 💕

    Look out for my pending blog on Self Love and Self Care actually… it’s just baking…

    You can check out my instagram Here too, which I have not long created, so would be lovely to see some of you there… pop over and say Heeey 👋🏾!

    Mummanopoly 💋