Ten crucial questions that will help you reboot your life

Autumn is often the time when we feel that we’ve run out of strength. The days become shorter, our motivation falls, and we just want to set the alarm to wake us up in the spring.
It’s for this reason that we at Memoir of  ABDN turned to a blog post by Yana Gorbobvskaya, known as the "Harmony Seeker." She offers the following ten questions that you should ask yourself when you find yourself experiencing the autumn blues.

If this was more than half an hour to an hour ago, drink a glass of water, and just allow yourself to take a breather for a moment.

If it was more than two to three hours ago, eat something — preferably something containing carbohydrates. You’ll be surprised at how many problems you find yourself solving once you’ve got some food in you. Our brains are strange things. When we’re hungry, instead of making us go to the store or to the nearest refrigerator, our brains drags us toward pondering unanswerable questions.

 Inactivity is a little like a magic spell that calls forth the demons of depression and exhaustion. You’d think that sitting in peace and quiet would allow you to build up energy, but that’s not the case. Evolution has made sure that we constantly need movement, and you can’t just draw energy out of nowhere. So the best way to give yourself a boost of both happiness and strength is to go for a walk or a run for about 40 minutes. If there’s a gym nearby, go there. An hour of activity will provide your brain with happiness hormones, and you’ll feel a whole lot better.

Sometimes we feel helpless when we don’t see any results come out of our efforts. Here’s a way around this: switch to doing a different task that you can complete. Write a letter. Create a playlist. Clean up your living room. Do something — anything — that will give you a feeling of control over your life and a sense of achievement.

Unfortunately, this won’t resolve anything immediately. But even eating some fruit just once can help rid your mind of feelings of unhappiness.

We often find ourselves waiting for praise and appreciation from others, in the way a child hopes for approval from their parents. But when we’re adults we have to be our own parents. And though we might desire the praise of those around us, that’s no reason to not pat yourself on the back when you deserve it. For some people this is a difficult thing to do, but it can and should be done. In all of us there’s something that we like about ourselves, and it’s important to find it and hold on to it.

Even if you slept last night, if it was for no more than six hours then all the things you need to resolve won’t be resolved until the moment you get eight hours of rest. If avoiding taking a decision is impossible, then ask for help from someone who has had eight hours of sleep. Even if you find what they tell you irritating, the chances are they’re right about what you’ve got wrong, and you just need more sleep to understand this. There’s no part of your brain or your body that won’t suffer if you don’t get enough sleep.

There’s no need to reveal the secret of this trick, but it works as effectively as pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Find someone you know, think about where their talents lie, and find a genuine reason to offer them praise. Give them credit where it’s due, and behold the effect this has on your own thoughts and feelings.

Hugs are one of the most important things in life. Children that don’t get enough of them can grow up to become anxious and irritable people. Adults that don’t receive them get sick more often and get tired much faster. If you haven’t embraced someone in a while, don’t be too shy to ask for a hug, or better yet give your cat or dog a cuddle. Five minutes of warmth can save the world, to say nothing of your mood and strength.

You’ve got a huge amount of work to do, and you’re arguing all the time with those close to you. All of this might seem manageable, but when problems pile up they can suck the life out of you. If you’ve done what needs to be done, find somewhere to lie down and take a rest. Take a deep breath over the course of five seconds, hold it, and breathe out for eight. Do it again. Lie like this for about ten minutes, focusing on your breathing and not on the thoughts that come into your head.

Look after yourself.