Five ways to feel alternatively fabulous this winter

So our winters are getting wetter, windier and warmer, making snow and ice a distant memory. The news on TV is relentlessly horrid, leaving loads of us feeling battle-weary. The leaves are falling off the trees and the evenings are gloomy. But hang on a minute - if you’re trying to beat the winter blues it’s time for some good news, for alternative ways of thinking and being that’ll boost your mood, make you smile, and help you appreciate the important things in life.

Seek alternative news

The TV news can be devastating. The news online and on social media is just as bad. It’s so easy to fall into an echo chamber where there’s nothing but awfulness. But it isn’t right. When you think about it there’s no need for the news to be so relentlessly bad. There should be a better balance, a more realistic balance, and that means also keeping an eye open for the good news. It’s good to know there’s a news website for that, called Positive News. This week’s stories include ready-to-go climate change solutions, a simple new way to fix homelessness, grassroots energy via community powered rooftop arrays, and new documentaries revealing the power of the people. Read it every day to feel brighter, sunnier and more positive about the future.

Get alternative sunshine

Nobody in the northern hemisphere gets enough vitamin D in winter, even if you spend all day every day outdoors. There just isn’t enough sunshine. And a lack of vitamin D makes us feel down in the dumps. Luckily scientists say one of the few vitamin substitutes worth taking is Vitamin D, cheap and easy to buy online, and a 30mg dose per day will make you feel better over the winter. If you fancy something a bit more dramatic grab yourself a SAD lamp to sit in front of. They use light to replicate natural sunlight, tricking your body into thinking it’s spring or summer so it releases serotonin. It can give you the boost you need to pick you up on even the darkest morning.

Think alternatively

Humans are hard-wired for negative thinking. Back when we lived in caves it was a handy skill, evolved to help us spot danger and avoid threats. These days it isn’t so useful to always focus on the negative when so many of us have safe places to live, no sabre-toothed tigers waiting to eat us, free healthcare, and supermarkets to buy food from. Thinking alternatively means being grateful for the small things, for all the everyday things that make life lovely even when the world outside your door is going nuts. Be thankful for friends and family, for being loved, for being warm, for being alive. Think positive and stay in the present, being mindful and realising your own tiny part of the world, right now at this second, is an OK place to be. And know you can’t heal the world – all you can do is care for your own small corner of it and make it as beautiful as you can, visually and spiritually.

Wear alternative fashion

Fast fashion is terrible stuff. You get a quick buzz then, because the quality tends to be poor, the joy drains away to leave you with a piece of clothing you can’t wear because it has fallen apart or looks rubbish. We do slow fashion, alternative clothes made from quality fabrics, made with skill and designed to last. It’s an entirely different feeling. Our 100% cotton is strong and hard-wearing. Our velvets remain smooth and soft. If it’s stretchy, it stays that way. The buttons stay on. The prints don’t wash off and the patterned fabrics don’t fade. Our silks and silk blends are not flimsy, they’re floaty and soft. Our 100% wool is thick and warm, and our viscose is silky and cool.

Grab wicked winter treats and gifts for an alternative Xmas

It’s our job to enrich your own personal winter wonderland. We have some gorgeous gifts for you, from alternative clothing that’s all velvet and lace, all indulgent texture and touch, to snuggly winter woollens for deep warmth and comfort. And we have glorious evergreens, exotic blues, vivid pinks and blazing reds to inspire you. We wish you and the people you love a fantastic November. May the weather treat you well, and may life give you great pleasure. We’ll be back next month with a Christmas special.