Make the most of your extra daylight time this year

“Spring forward and Fall backward.” That is how we remember how to turn our clocks as a part of Daylight Saving Time.

We have just sprung forward and some of us like this time while others prefer to have that extra hour of sleep. While most people might agree that losing an hour of sleep can be a huge minus, having daylight for a longer period can certainly be a huge plus.

Here are a few ways that you can take advantage of that additional daylight that will help you to get the most out of your time while also serving as steps to improving the quality of your life:

1. Get moving. You have no excuse not to get in that walk or jog around your neighborhood that you have been putting off. With that longer period of daylight, you even have time after work to go to a local park for your walk or jog. It is a fact that the sun stimulates serotonin production which is a necessary component for mental health. We are also in better moods due to sun’s impact on endorphin hormone production. So, enjoy the sunlight and get moving. The exercise will be good for you and you will feel good for making the effort which can boost your physical and mental energies.

2. Spend time. Daylight Saving Time can actually help you to spend more quality time with your family or friends. When it would usually be dark by the time you left work, you will have more time to unwind with friends at a local restaurant on their outdoor patio rather than heading home immediately. If you have a family, then skip the restaurant, unless, of course, you pick them up first. Otherwise, go home, change into your comfy clothes and get out in the yard to play with the kids or, take a nice stroll with the sweetheart. Maybe you have friends or family that you haven’t paid a visit to in awhile. Drop by. Call first, but you might be surprised how emotionally uplifting and even fulfilling it can be to connect with others, especially the people you care about.

3. Spring clean. When we awaken on a Saturday morning to the brilliant and warm rays of the sun shining into our windows and sky lights, we feel energized and upbeat. This is a great time to tackle that closet or storage room that you’ve been meaning to organize, to rearrange the furniture in your home to welcome in a new and positive energy, or to get outdoors and clean up those weeds and mow the lawn. But, cleaning up around the house or in the yard isn’t the only cleaning to be done this spring. This is a perfect time to take inventory of the people, things, and/or ideas that have cluttered up your life and have produced no “fruit”. Clean house. Empty the trash from your mind. You will feel rejuvenated and have a renewed sense of who you are and of the path that you tread. You can spend much of the day cleaning with plenty of sunlight left to enjoy as you choose.

Whether you like this time, or prefer to “fall backward”, the words of the great philosopher and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, ring true. He said, “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.

Be encouraged.