Happy spring! It's no coincidence that the first day of spring is also the International Day of Happiness. Spring brings the sunshine and sunshine make us happy! 
After a long winter, nothing beats basking in the spring sunlight. It’s self-care at its best, if you ask us.
And lucky for us, as spring begins, the amount of daylight in our days is increasing every day until summer arrives. Daylight peaks at the summer solstice, the longest day of the year when it comes to hours of daylight.
Sure, springing forward and losing an hour of sleep as Daylight Saving Time begins makes us all a little cranky. But the long-term benefit is getting to enjoy more daylight during your waking hours, and more exposure to natural daylight has the power to make you happier.
How Does Daylight Make You Happy?
We typically think of how sunlight affects our skin – from increasing the body’s vitamin D production for bone health to skin damage that comes with excess sun exposure.
But when it comes to those sunny, happy feelings, it’s actually our eyes that play a key role in absorbing sunlight to boost our moods. 
Taking in sunlight through your eyes triggers the brain to release serotonin, a hormone known to improve your mood and help you feel calmer and more focused.
Who knew just letting natural daylight hit your eyes could make such a positive difference in your every day?
Self-Care Tips to Amplify Your Happy Spring Feelings
As the amount of daylight in our days grows, spring blooms with self-care opportunities. Keep those sunny, happy feelings blossoming throughout the season with these spring self-care ideas:
1. Take a walk in nature. Sure, a quick walk around the block will let you soak up some sunlight and treat your body to a little exercise. But take a full-on nature walk in a wooded area and you’ll give yourself an extra boost.
A 2010 study published in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine showed that taking in a forest atmosphere, or ‘forest bathing’ 
as it’s known in Japan, promotes lower stress and blood pressure levels than a walk in a city area.
2. Give yourself flowers. While you’re enjoying your walk, pick yourself some fresh spring blooms to take home with you. Flowers appeal to our important senses of sight and smell and evoke happy emotions.
Soothing floral scents combined with calming colors like blue and lavender promote relaxation. Need more positive energy? Grab some cheery yellow flowers for an extra happiness boost.
3. Eat your lunch outside. Spring is not the time to eat at your desk. Set yourself up for a better, more focused afternoon by taking a break to enjoy the spring weather and get some sunlight.
It may be just the serotonin boost you need to make it through the rest of the workday with a smile on your face.
4. Bring natural lighting indoors. You may not be able to escape the office to enjoy every spring afternoon outside but you can bring the power of natural daylight indoors.
Working under balanced, natural lighting is a major act of self-care that will help keep your eyes healthy and happy while at your desk. Unfortunately, most typical LED lighting is unbalanced, which isn’t healthy for your eyes and can cause eyestrain.
That’s why researchers and engineers at OttLite created the OttLite Wellness Series. These natural daylight lamps are proven to reduce eyestrain by up to 51 percent!
How do they do it? OttLite’s proprietary LED technology matches the sun’s natural, balanced spectrum of color as closely as humanely possible. And seeing the world in balanced, healthy light means happier, less-strained eyes.
5. Get creative. As you take in the sights of spring, draw some creative inspiration from the beauty blooming around you.
Whether you enjoy crafting, painting or creating a new recipe with fresh spring ingredients, enjoy some creative “me time.” You’ll find that getting lost in a creative hobby you love is a perfect way to de-stress and boost your mood after a long day at the office.
Just don’t forget to keep your eyes happy with healthy light. An OttLite task lamp with natural daylight lighting will help you see clearly and avoid eyestrain so you can enjoy your hobby longer and more comfortably.
Ready to get happy? Go take a gander at the spring daylight and get inspired!
You need to
login to comment.
