I need ideas to shake the gloom!

We are having an unusually wet and chilly spring.  Rain every day for most of the day with cloud cover that never goes away. 

At first I liked the weather - but as time goes on I find it has a serious dampening effect on my usual pumped and peppy disposition.  I am not depressed just not chipper. 

I have a Gowear fit and I have watched my daily burn slowly slide from 2400 to 2100 cals a day over the last two weeks.  No - it isnt weight loss - thats only a couple of pounds total.  Not enough to effect my over all burn.  I am just not moving as much as I am used to.  It is like the cloud cover has shut of my drive mode lol

There is no end in sight this week.  I really need some ideas to get me pumped again.  What can I do to counter balance this gloom?

Work is not helping at all.  It has been dull, dull, dull.  I have spent most of the last 2 days tied to my computer archiving old data.  The only thing more boring is sitting through a cricket match.  (sorry Brits - I am a yank, what can I say?)

Enough whining! 

Does anyone have any ideas to get me pumped up? 

The weather has the same effect on my mood.  It has been raining here for what seems like forever.  I havent had a decent day to sit in the sun yet!  BUT, I try not to let the gloomy weather dampen my spirits. 

If you enjoy writing, try journaling some ideas. 
Flip all the lights on in your home and/or office and revel in the light therapy.
Enhance your mood with some popping music.  Jack it way up and dance yourself silly!
Keep a keen eye on the foods you are consuming....watch the carbs and anything w/. tryptophan in it....you dont need to be lollygagging around because you had a huge amount of turkey slow you down. 
Keep moving your body and clean out your mind....go for a run, take a brisk walk in the rain (use your umbrella)....people think Im nuts for doing it, but hey, if it improves my attitude and outlook, then who cares!

Good luck and know that there are others who are tired of the weather as well.

Vit B helps improve my mood - you could try that.

I don't remember what you do for exercise, but maybe change something up, or see if there is an exercise class at your gym (if you go to one) that you could try out. I don't belong to a gym, but I'm going to try out a cardio kickboxing class (possibly tonight) and see how I like it.

Or you could come borrow some of the hot&humid weather from us in DC - we've got enough to share.

Vitamin D and B12 is what I take around those gloomy months (for me, it's the months of January-March) and look into doing something different - take a class in something you've never done, do a karate class or yoga, pilates, find a boxing ring or a poledancing or tango class; whatever it takes, put aside a couple hours for yourself soon, and find something to engage yourself with, bring back the spark that the weather seems to be putting out.

And remember to be kind to yourself; dark moods tend to be the ones that bring us around to negative thinking. 

Go out in the rain! The sun's rays penetrate the clouds and can still give you that energy you get on a sunny days. As long as it is safe to go outside, go. Besides putting on extra gear (rain gear, gloves, hat, etc...) can be a workout in itself. Also, the extra weight and external cold will help you burn more calories!

Have fun!

I live in the pacific northwest, where we get about 8 months a year of rain.  I'm a year-round walker.  I love walking in the rain.  You don't get hot, and there aren't nearly as many people clogging up the paths.  Just embrace it.  Also, on cloudy days, I try to make my food even more colorful than usual.  This time of year, you can get fruits and veggies in every color of the rainbow.  

Original Post by medveditsa:

I live in the pacific northwest, where we get about 8 months a year of rain. 

yep, me too.  vancouver, bc.  i definitely know your pain, OP.  it gets really hard to stay cheerful over the winters here.

my best advice?  grab an umbrella, and get some rain boots.  sounds ridiculous...but there is something wonderfully juvenile about being able to stomp through the puddles.

oh, and make every effort to get outside the second it's sunny. 

Original Post by dkiesser:

Go out in the rain! The sun's rays penetrate the clouds and can still give you that energy you get on a sunny days. As long as it is safe to go outside, go. Besides putting on extra gear (rain gear, gloves, hat, etc...) can be a workout in itself. Also, the extra weight and external cold will help you burn more calories!

 ^ Such a good idea!

Around here we aren't expecting any decent weather until Saturday. I can relate because when the weather is like this I have a total lack of motivation........arghhhhhhh.
I got in a quck workout today though :)

I dont know if you'll be able to find a class around you, but if you can, a Zumba dance class always shakes the gloom away for me-- literally. Theres no way I can be a-motivational when I get to shake my hips and burn some serious calories!! So much fun. =)

I feel your pain.

However, you could take advantage of these rainy days and catch up on housework that you`ve been putting off forever. I`m sure you have a closet that needs reorganizing, try everything you own on, find new interesting clothing combos, or just goof around in front of the mirror. And you know those hard to reach places that you always avoid when dusting or vacuuming? Now`s a good time to get them squeaky clean! It`s a great workout too. Pump up some of your favourite music and forget about the outside weather.

P.S. Whenever rain brings me down, I snap out of it by visualizing how it`s actually helping my favourite fruit and veggies grow. Weird, I know, but it might help. :)

Good suggestions/reminders on the visualization.  Another gloomy day here in New Jersey with rain and showers off and on.  Will incorporate that visualization today and hope it helps.