How do you sustain a good mood through these times?

[Sundiamond]

I feel grateful that we are well and working. Every day I am thankful for this. I know how much worse things can be.

But I still feel low. I work at home, and despite dog walking and exercise and eating/sleeping well, I feel really low.

I wondered what things other people did to keep their spirits up? It just feels dark and relentless at the moment. And the loom of such an incompetent Brexit, spelling disaster for so many, fills me with horror.

Anything creative or to do with nature works for me. Planning the garden for next year. Dh does painting, which I wish I could do. Baking. Walks in the woods. Feeding the birds. Any pleasant human interaction: on the phone to my daughter in London or my mother abroad, a zoom call with a colleague, a fun interchange on twitter.

Seeing the joy in small things: going for a walk round the block and noticing what the neighbours keep in the garden. Signs of autumn.

Remembering that I have known hard times before and what mattered afterwards was not being able to alter the universe, but the knowledge that we did our best.

There is a bit in the Roman epic the Aeneid where the hero Aeneas has been shipwrecked, lost lots of people he cares about, has no idea what is coming next or how he will keep his surviving men and his young son alive, and he looks at them and tells them that "Once this, too, will be good to remember". I'm sure he doesn't mean it will be all rose-tinted or that they will forget how horrible it was; what will be good to remember is that they held out, that they did their best.

I’ve started having a small glass of wine most evenings which I’ve never done before but is actually quite relaxing and Enjoyable.
I used to be more of a ‘binge’ drinker-having quite a lot at social occasions but nothing in between but now There aren’t any social occasions I guess it balances out about the same.
Meeting friends to run or walk with-this is an infinite improvement on the first lockdown as is the fact I can drive short distances to get to better places.
Having morning coffee outside and noticing the seasonal changes
TV-there’s plenty of good stuff to watch at the moment and it gives a bit more routine to the weeks.
I’ve booked a few things for next year in the knowledge that even if they are cancelled at least I have the pleasure of looking forward to them and planning.
Keeping the house clean and tidy so we can all relax.

Knitting. Giving up booze! Looking around at nature on my dog walks and seeing it going through all its usual seasonal changes, unaffected by the pandemic. News of the vaccines. Being happy that, in spite of Covid, Brexit etc and whatever we think of our government, we are still very fortunate to live in a country that people are willing to risk life and limb to escape to.

I'm dressing really well. A lot more effort than I'd put into going to work. I'd lost six stone before this year, so as well as maintaining my weight, I've revamped my wardrobe bit by bit with everything in the right size.

I take a long lunch and go running, which is fantastic for my mood. As soon as the clocks went back, I insisted at work that we allow flexibility for people to get out during daylight hours.

I've also really cracked on with my book - I was already writing, but I've really professionalised my approach to it, and I love disappearing into a different world (unfortunately I'd already put a plague in there a couple of years ago, so the main character starts her arc feeling really clamped down and isolated, and the political situation is skewed by the massive debt, so it's not THAT much of an escape, but at least I'm 100% in control).

Exercise. I have got in the habit of walking every day and now miss it if I don't. I have completely stopped drinking alcohol as I think it is a slippery slope. I will probably restart once life is a bit more normal.

Planning nice weekend food - lots of stews and home made curries
Recently had a wood burner installed so we often turn off the TV, have a glass of wine and read our books in front of it
Taking the dog to the field and watching him bomb about
Re-reading old, well loved books
Weirdly, getting really into/obsessed with a completely different subject (FWR posts) takes me away from the current COVID/Brexit discussions
Ten minutes of yoga a day
Podcasts about murder

Since the pandemics started we decluttered our whole home so we don't have anything that isn't useful or that we don't love. everything is organised and in its place. We love it! We also put up the Christmas decorations so we actually enjoy being at home
We enjoy nice tv series (lately about murder)
Reading
Bubble baths
Whatsapp/skype chats with friends
Baking