BY: JESSICA BEUKER
The days get shorter, we all get paler, no amount of sleep seems to be able to cure your chronic fatigue and on top of that everyone around you has come down with some kind of contagious illness. You leave for work in the dark and you come home as the sun’s setting. And in between the only light you see is the dull blue light shining out of your computer screen, as you hunch over, with tired eyes and achy muscles, typing away at your desk for 8 hours. Let’s face it, the change from fall into winter sucks.
The winter blues, or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a very real problem. As we’re exposed to less sunlight daily and the temperatures drop, we all start to feel a little bit depressed. Studies show that the shorter and colder the days get, the more your mood deteriorates.
It’s important to do everything you can to combat the winter blues and take care of yourself. A sunny vacation or light therapy are sure-fire options that always do the trick. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or money to afford these things. Another way to combat the blues and lift your spirits is to use music. Listening to happy songs or songs about summer vacation are instant mood boosters.
Music has a miraculous way of making us feel very deeply. A sad song can bring us to literal tears, a fast and intense movie score can make our hearts race in anticipation, a song that we associate with a certain memory, brings that memory to the forefront of our minds and makes it feel as if it’s happening all over again in that moment.
And of course, a happy, upbeat song can make us smile, dance, sing-along and feel good. Here are 10 songs to help you get over your winter blues and make you feel good again.
1. Getaway – Hunter Brothers
It couldn’t be colder outside, snowflakes piling up three feet high/ But I don’t need the heat, girl I’m just fine, you take me to the middle of the summertime/ Shaking off the wintertime blues, spending all my time just staring at you/ Yea, give me some shades and some flip flops, cause your blue eyes are like an ocean view.
2. Castaway – Zac Brown Band
I wanna be a castaway and leave the world behind /Take a tropic holiday, say goodbye to keeping time/ Wasting away down by the coast, Pacifico and chasing lime/Easy living down in paradise.
3. It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere – Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffet
Pour me somethin’ tall an’ strong/Make it a “Hurricane” before I go insane/It’s only half-past twelve but I don’t care/It’s five o’clock somewhere
4. All I want for Christmas is a real good tan – Kenny Chesney
All I want for Christmas is a real good tan/Take me to the Islands put my feet in the sand/Rockin’ to and fro with the rhythm of the ocean/Singin Silent Night with the palm trees a-blowin’.
5. It’s a great day to be alive – Travis Tritt
6. Rain is a good thing – Luke Bryan
7. Better Life – Keith Urban
Someday, baby/You and I are gonna be the ones/Good luck’s gonna shine/Someday, baby/You and I are gonna be the ones/So hold on, we’re headed for a better life.
8. Daughters of the Sun – George Canyon
Summer slipping through our fingers/Let’s pretend there’s no September/I remember, blue skies, hiding under cheap sunglasses/My, my tanlines and 4-wheels backing up/So damn easy just to fall in love/We’re having fun chasing the daughters of the sun.
9. Stronger Beer – Tim Hicks
We say “Eh?”, you say “Y’all,” Ya we both got pro football/’cept we got bigger balls and a longer field, and one less down/We say “zed”, you say “zee”/Sure we watch all your TV/You got stronger army down there, but, man, up here/We got stronger beer.
10. Life’s about to get good – Shania Twain
Life’s about joy, life’s about pain/It’s all about forgiving and the will to walk away/I’m ready to be loved, and love the way I should/Life’s about, life’s about to get good.
