Let’s be honest: There’s nothing fun about the “falling back” portion of Daylight Savings Time. Turning the clocks back an hour means darker days and longer nights, which can often make for a rough transition for some people. The onset of winter can also cause Seasonal Affective Disorder—or SAD—to kick in, a very real condition that affects more than 10 million Americans (75 percent of which are women.) Real talk: When it gets dark at 4:30PM, focusing on how to be happy is sometimes easier said than done.

According to research, where you live plays a big role in how you deal with darker days—East Coasters, for example, are way more likely to be affected by SAD than folks who live in sunnier climes like Florida, California, or Arizona, and are more at risk for things like depression, social withdrawal, lethargy, and anxiety once it stars to get darker earlier.

Why? It mostly has to do with the fact that when we detect darkness, a small gland in our brain called the pineal releases melatonin, which is responsible for our sleep cycles, so our bodies are being forced to be awake when the brain thinks it should be asleep. When we detect light, conversely, our melatonin levels wane and serotonin takes over, which is a natural mood elevator.

Even if you don’t suffer from from full-on SAD symptoms—which can be treated with the use of light boxes that mimic outdoor sunshine and can cause a chemical shift in our brains that lifts our moods—you’ve probably felt down at some point or another throughout the winter.

Here, we’ve highlighted how to be happy during the bleak winter months by laying out seven ways to naturally boost your mood.

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1. Make Time to Move

It may seem intuitive, but exercise really does boost your mood and your energy levels. According to the Mayo Clinic, even a short workout at the gym or a brisk walk can do the trick, as physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that usually leaves you feeling happier and more relaxed. Winter workouts also can make you feel better about your appearance, which in turn, boosts confidence.

Not really a gym person? Make it a point to walk for 30 minutes on your way home from work, around your block, or around a park. On weekends, Recruit a friend, a sibling or your partner to make it fun.

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2. Eat Whole Foods

Yeah, you always hear about the benefits of eating clean, and shunning things like processed and sugary foods, white flour, and artificial sweeteners, but it’s extra-true this time of year. Processed foods and sugar have been proven to cause inflammation and drops in mood and energy.

Instead, it’s key to eat plenty of leafy greens, lean protein, good fats, and complex carbs, as these macronutrients help keep our blood sugar levels in check, according to MindBodyGreen. When they plummet, so does our mood! Good fats like olive oil, avocado, even a little dark chocolate, as well as complex carbs like whole grains and brown rice also help to create feel-good serotonin.

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3. Cook Dinner on Weeknights 

For those of us who get winter blues, weekday nights can be an especially difficult time. You’re done with work, and a long night stretches ahead. One way to fill it? Cook dinner! Ordering in night after night can be depressing, so make it a point to head to the supermarket after work a few nights a week, and make your own dinner. Put on music, relax, and just enjoy it.

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4. Keep Drinking (Water, People!)

Dehydration has been shown to cause agitation, fatigue, and general unpleasantness, so keep a large bottle of water at your desk and sip throughout the day. If you’re freezing and craving something hot, drink green tea, which is packed with antioxidants due to its high content of flavonoids.

Conversely, don’t drink too much booze: While a glass or two of wine may actually help you relax occasionally and can have some health benefits, too much alcohol has been proven to be a serious-mood buster. Plus, morning hangovers will not help you feel great about the day ahead.

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5. Smell an Orange

Several studies have found that the scent of oranges can reduce stress and improve mood. Try eating a fresh orange for breakfast every morning (and inhaling its scent), or dab some orange oil on your wrists a few times a week.

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6. Make Your Home a Place You Want to Be

Yes, the prospect of facing a long cold night can be stressful, but not if your home is truly a place you want to be. Spending a little time and money tweaking your crib to make it feel more comfortable is key, and small things can can make a huge difference. Like what? For starters, try swapping out the lighting—replace all gloomy yellow-casting bulbs with those that emit white light (they’re the same price) or try “full spectrum” bulbs, which mimic natural light.

All-white walls can be depressing, and paint is the cheapest way to completely change your space, so why not find a shade you love and spend the weekend redoing your walls? From there, add a couple of new rugs, hang things on the wall, and decorate your desk, coffee table, or bedside table with fresh flowers and a stack of cool books.

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7. Have Something To Look Forward To

Don’t be afraid to make plans—whether it be a girl’s night in, a Zoom happy hour, a blind date or even just regular brunch plans—keep your winter calendar packed with realistic things you enjoy doing.

Always wanted to take a writing/dance/acting/science class? Now’s the time to do it! You’ll meet new people, have assignments to complete, and have somewhere to go regularly.

Similarly, if you’re single and on the fence about joining Tinder, Match, or any other dating site, why not try it out now? At best, you’ll meet some nice people with romantic potential, at worst, you’ll have some classic dating stories that’ll make you laugh.

A previous version of this article appeared in November 2018.

For some reason, bangs are always a bit controversial. Curtain bangs are no different. Some love them and some aren’t feeling them and others think people are calling long layers bangs when they’re really just a layer. Bur regardless, Ashley Benson does have new curtain bangs are they look great on her. The actress shared a video of her on set wearing a wavy bob wig and apparently, it inspired her to make a real change.

Not only did Benson get curtain bangs, but she also went shorter allover and much lighter. “The focal point of this look is the cut and color combo,” her hairstylist Joseph Maine said in a statement. “I love how the platinum color really compliments her skin and the dark root gives her a lot of depth, making her light blonde pop. The depth in her root also goes with her eyebrows and makes her eyes stand out. For the style, I wanted it to look effortless and just slightly tousled.”

Instagram.com/ashleybenson.

“I love working with Ashley because we get to try so many different looks,” the Trademark Beauty co-founder said. “She’s always up for new things. This is our first time really playing with her hair since Paris Fashion Week in March where we did eight different looks. It was fun to try something new today! While this is a wig that she’s currently rocking, we were so inspired by it that we ended up chopping her real hair super short too. It’s pretty drastic!”

Source: Instagram

Benson’s new bangs will take a little styling work to get used to but they’re very versatile. She can wear them straight forward, blown-out in a cool ’70s way or even just tuck them into the rest of her hair when she’s not feeling then. They’ll also grow out easily right into her chic bob. We love them and hope she keeps them around for a while—until she switches it up again.

For some reason, bangs are always a bit controversial. Curtain bangs are no different. Some love them and some aren’t feeling them and others think people are calling long layers bangs when they’re really just a layer. Bur regardless, Ashley Benson does have new curtain bangs are they look great on her. The actress shared a video of her on set wearing a wavy bob wig and apparently, it inspired her to make a real change.

Not only did Benson get curtain bangs, but she also went shorter allover and much lighter. “The focal point of this look is the cut and color combo,” her hairstylist Joseph Maine said in a statement. “I love how the platinum color really compliments her skin and the dark root gives her a lot of depth, making her light blonde pop. The depth in her root also goes with her eyebrows and makes her eyes stand out. For the style, I wanted it to look effortless and just slightly tousled.”

Instagram.com/ashleybenson.

“I love working with Ashley because we get to try so many different looks,” the Trademark Beauty co-founder said. “She’s always up for new things. This is our first time really playing with her hair since Paris Fashion Week in March where we did eight different looks. It was fun to try something new today! While this is a wig that she’s currently rocking, we were so inspired by it that we ended up chopping her real hair super short too. It’s pretty drastic!”

Source: Instagram

Benson’s new bangs will take a little styling work to get used to but they’re very versatile. She can wear them straight forward, blown-out in a cool ’70s way or even just tuck them into the rest of her hair when she’s not feeling then. They’ll also grow out easily right into her chic bob. We love them and hope she keeps them around for a while—until she switches it up again.

Our attitudes toward the important things in life – relationships, money, and careers – are shaped by the experiences we have in our youth. The Millennial generation – our kids, in other words – are demonstrating this in their attitudes toward saving, investing, and real estate.

Check out this interesting article in The Motley Fool on the financial habits of Boomers versus those of their children. It gives us a whole new take on the term “sandwich generation.”

Millennials Treat Money Like Their Grandparents Did

The Millennials are more like their grandparents than they are like us in their thinking about where to put their savings and how to invest. Apparently, we’re more trusting and invest a larger percentage of our savings in the stock market.

Millennials, like their grandparents, like to keep their savings in cash, and are far less trusting than we Boomers are. The author of the Motley Fool article, Amanda Alix, surmises that perhaps there’s similarity in the experiences of our parents, who lived through the Great Depression, and our children, who entered the adult world during a serious recession.

I think their “financial thinking alliance” with their grandparents also might have to do with the high rate of divorce among the baby boomer generation. We talk a lot about the emotional devastation our children suffered when their parents divorced, but what about the financial consequences, too?

How many of our children have seen households torn asunder, possessions split between two households, lessons terminated, clothing allowances constricted and style of living in general taken down a peg – or two – when their parents divorced?

That’s got to make them think about how attached one should be to material possessions; how important it should be to keep up with the Joneses; how risky it would be to try to build a financial castle that may turn out to be just a house of cards.

The interesting counterpoint is that our children have a high degree of trust in our advice when it comes to financial matters. Go figure.

A Time in Life to Teach Financial Management by Example

As we now go forward in life into older age brackets, retirement and perhaps more limited financial means than when we were younger, we have an opportunity to teach our Millennials by example again – only this time in a more positive light and with more planning and control over the outcome.

If we face our financial futures squarely, employ good planning skills and demonstrate admirably reasonable behavior, we can show Millennials some really good things, like what it looks like to marshal your financial resources, adopt a realistic outlook and make healthy and happy decisions.

One major decision that we all face as we age is where and how we will live. And unlike our Depression-era parents, we seem to be looking at our choices in a whole new, more open-minded way.

Happily, we do seem to be living out the ideals we held high when we were entering adulthood: that living in community is good for each of us individually and good for the environment, that sharing and supporting one another is the best way to be, and that friendships and the simple pleasures of life are worth their weight in gold. What an example to hold up to our kids.

Have you started seriously planning for retirement – such as making a detailed post-retirement budget? Are you discussing your finances with your adult children, letting them in on the plans you’re making or considering? Are you considering a shared housing or communal living arrangement for your future? Share how you are teaching by example in the comments section below.

For some reason, bangs are always a bit controversial. Curtain bangs are no different. Some love them and some aren’t feeling them and others think people are calling long layers bangs when they’re really just a layer. Bur regardless, Ashley Benson does have new curtain bangs are they look great on her. The actress shared a video of her on set wearing a wavy bob wig and apparently, it inspired her to make a real change.

Not only did Benson get curtain bangs, but she also went shorter allover and much lighter. “The focal point of this look is the cut and color combo,” her hairstylist Joseph Maine said in a statement. “I love how the platinum color really compliments her skin and the dark root gives her a lot of depth, making her light blonde pop. The depth in her root also goes with her eyebrows and makes her eyes stand out. For the style, I wanted it to look effortless and just slightly tousled.”

Instagram.com/ashleybenson.

“I love working with Ashley because we get to try so many different looks,” the Trademark Beauty co-founder said. “She’s always up for new things. This is our first time really playing with her hair since Paris Fashion Week in March where we did eight different looks. It was fun to try something new today! While this is a wig that she’s currently rocking, we were so inspired by it that we ended up chopping her real hair super short too. It’s pretty drastic!”

Source: Instagram

Benson’s new bangs will take a little styling work to get used to but they’re very versatile. She can wear them straight forward, blown-out in a cool ’70s way or even just tuck them into the rest of her hair when she’s not feeling then. They’ll also grow out easily right into her chic bob. We love them and hope she keeps them around for a while—until she switches it up again.