It's a New Year and the celebrations are slowing down. Its back to work for most of us, back to school, back to life, back to reality! Sometime the "come down" from the festive time can leave you in a lull.

Unlike the 90's when we needed mood rings to tell us our emotional ebb and flow, the millennium has grown our consciousness and awareness inward. Many of us know the moment our mood drops and (unfortunately) sometimes we wallow in it. But knowing we're in a dull mood doesn't necessarily mean we know HOW TO SNAP OUT OF IT!

Here are my 5 tips to turn a sour mood into a sweet memory:

1.Listen to Music

Put on your favourite song: of all time, or your feel good jam for this season. Sing along, get up and dance, a shimmy and shake, it will turn that blue mood into a red hot stepper to remember.

2.Get Out(side)

Even if your garden is small or communal, just get outside! Smell a flower, admire it's colours in the sun/moon-light... Touch a leaf, smell its essence. Feel the rough bark, take off your shoes and feel the grass on your toes. The extra oxygen in nature will leave you feeling uplifted and revitalised.

3.Get Creative

Even if you don't have a fancy art set or a painting easel and "art farty" paints or brushes, use whats around you to make something out of nothing. Borrow your childs felt pens, colour pencils even CRAYONS! Just draw, scribble, doodle, make a shape colour it in. If you dont have children, look around you for inspiration in leaves, pasta, fruit peels, shells, stones ropes or sticks! Using your hands and creating something out of nothing picks up your mind in the most enlightening way and will make you feel young again.

4.Clean It

I know chores suck most of the time... ohkaaaay ALL of the time, but sometimes your mood can be lifted by seeing a spot that is usally cluttered turned all clean and neat. The coffee table where every thing you own has come to have a 'meeting of the miscellaneous' can get sparkly clean, which will leave you feeling pretty sparkly too.

5.Call or Message a Good Friend/Brother/Sister/Cousin

You know that person that always makes you smile. The one you talk the most nonsense with. The person who you just have to call and they answer with a weird "Watkind!" Or for funny "Halllooooo..."? Call that person for a 1 min pick me up, just to say hi. Text them a small "Hi whats happening." A little chat goes a long way. Also people love when you reach out to them, and making someone else feel loved is guaranteed to get that mood soaring.

And remember, life is naturally about ups and downs, but so long as you keep your head up, you'll always see that rainbow.

Keep Smiling, Keep Shining!

Shika xx