Thought for the week

DO you find this time of year depressing? The cold, the rain – and I particularly dislike the wind. Most people will have arranged something special for the Christmas and New Year season, meeting friends and family, enjoying celebrations, and now it’s all over.

So how can we cheer ourselves up? First of all, how about looking round at the scenery (we are so lucky to have such beautiful scenery here in North Wales) especially now that the days are getting longer and we have more time to enjoy it. Then, think of the people we have in our lives. I live far away from my family, but they stay in touch and come to visit me (or possibly to visit Llandudno!) I am blessed in my neighbours, who will always help me out with practical tasks and feed my cat when I’m away.

I am heartened by the fact that complete strangers do not hesitate to help. The other day, the wind was so fierce that I was afraid to cross the road outside my own front door. I called to a passing dog walker, who was happy to come to my aid.

I recently read an interesting item about research into depression. The study compared different approaches to alleviating depression, such as group therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or physical exercise. It was found that one remedy that had a significantly beneficial effect was to performing actions to help others. So baking a cake for a neighbour, offering to drive a friend to a hospital appointment, or merely taking the time to cheer someone up with a phone call will have a positive effect on our own mental health.

I’d better go and find something to do for someone!