After a rainy and cold winter, the change in weather strangely often comes hand in hand with tiredness, irritability, headaches and overall lack of drive. This seems strange as we should be feeling good about the weather improving, right? This phenomenon is known as Spring Fever. It is linked to the lack of sunlight we experienced during winter. Our body runs out of serotonin – “happiness hormone”. Our body also reacts to the longer days with higher production of other hormones – endorphin, testosterone and oestrogen. Higher levels of hormones combined with frequent changes of weather can be behind fatigue and other changes in mood.
Our tip of the week is:
Get moving!
Take advantage of the longer days to boost your mood. Even if you feel like landing on your sofa right after coming home from work, fight it. Enjoy at least half an hour walk in the park and plan a longer activity for the weekend. Come up with something you really enjoy and you don’t need to force yourself to do it.
If you are not sure if you are suffering from Spring Fever or are worried about your mood more generally, see a GP or book in with a therapist. Tiredness can be caused by many different factors such as long term stress, thyroid dysfunction and many other reasons.
