1. Get outside, much more than you usually would. Walk to work, or part of the way, get out at lunchtimes. Mornings are especially good for light quality, before any rush hour traffic gets started in earnest. Try a longer walk before noon at weekends, and do it regularly through the winter, near water if you can.
2. Go high: hills, tower blocks, any tall buildings, and focus the eyes on the far horizon. Tynemouth clifftop is very stimulating, you can see down river and far out to sea, south to Souter and north to the bays of Northumberland. Try the cliffs and denes of East Durham, Dunstanburgh, Bamburgh too. If you’re in a big city, take the lift to the top of any tall building: try Cale Cross, the Oxo Tower restaurant, or the mighty Rotunda.
3. The light reflected from water: sea, lakes, rivers, a canal, city fountains: make detours in your commute to enjoy any running water, the Thames, the Tyne, the beach.
4. Change your domestic environment. Sleep with the curtains open, rise an hour earlier (or later) to enjoy the morning light and sit at a window to breakfast. Try those special light bulbs and lamps and use them for reading or as a room light while listening to music in the evenings. Remove the dust on any reflective surfaces to make the most of them. Dusting regularly indoors will help to enhance your living space and mood in any case. Move your mirrors to catch the light and keep them sparkling. Use reflectors – large sheets of white cardboard or silver studio reflectors – near where you sit to reflect light back into your face.
5. If you’re doing house improvements, consider places where you could install extra windows or skylights. Do you really need frosting in your bathroom windows? Builders will automatically assume you do, when the views of your garden or a pretty back yard will enhance your morning ritual. Paint window-facing walls or fences white. Paint a few internal walls white too, especially those where you sit or sleep.
6. Use colour in your clothing: it’s tempting in winter to wear dark blacks and autumn shades. Experiment with wearing white and/or bright pale colours, even a pale scarf against the face. Hang white curtains and white lace or fine net at the windows instead of heavy drapes.
7. There’s a self help group and some great advice on the Mind website.
And if you’ve tried anything we haven’t mentioned, please do tell us in the comments.
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5 Comments
Thoughtful and enlightening post. I’m wearing bright ‘park green’ but must I really resort to dusting? ;)
Green sounds life-enhancing, yes!
Dust? You could always cover everything in tinfoil.
I certainly intend to get out and about when I can. I have often let the cold and rain hold me back over winter, but I am making a point not to let it this year.
The only downside is that I am actually looking forward to finishing my 365 project (this month) so I can go out without a camera, and that tends to remove the key excuse for having to go out of a weekend.
I like the tinfoil idea. But the rest of the entry was good as well. I think I will try the clothing part myself (wearing dark blue and wine red as we speak), when I get off I will go home and change. Thanks for the tip!
well written blog. Im glad that I could find more info on this. thanks