Now that the holidays are over, the ice-cold weather has set in and it's back to school or work, it's easy to feel down and depressed. Here are 10 easy ways to get out of your winter blues.

1. Dance: Put on your favourite song and turn up the music really loud. It may seem silly at first, but dancing is a terrific way to reduce stress, increase energy, improve strength, and increase muscle tone and coordination.

2. Positive thinking: Realizing that negative thoughts and attitudes can result in illness, positive thoughts and attitudes can have the opposite effect. Positive psychology studies indicate a positive attitude, along with an optimistic outlook and positive thinking, can bring better health and greater happiness. It's never too late to change your thoughts.

3. Breathing Exercises: By doing breath exercises, meditation or yoga helps us bring awareness to the present moment. Focusing on the now moves us away from the past or the future and moves us away from anger, guilt and stress. Through breath awareness and conscious relaxation, we can let go of stressful symptoms, thoughts and feelings.

4. Sing: When we sing, we show our feelings and this has an amazing release on our stress levels. Singing both with or without music is used as therapy for treating people suffering from many kinds of physical, psychological or emotional illnesses or traumas. Singing is a great aid to communication, breathing and rhythm.

5. Laugh: I once went to a laughter yoga class. Within minutes, I caught the bug and was laughing because the guy next to me was laughing was so hard. At times, I laughed until my belly hurt and I had tears in my eyes. Laughter is contagious; need some help to get you going? Try renting a comedy or fake it until you make it. Laughter reduces stress and provides an emotional and physical release.

6. Call a friend: Phone up a friend who is a good listener and who will be nurturing and supportive. It also helps if he/she has a great sense of humour and can make you laugh. Unleashing our worries can be very therapeutic. Suppressing feelings creates a build up that leaves us feeling heavy and overburdened.

7. Clean: When you clean your bedroom or your house, organize your files and get rid of unwanted items that are just taking up space, you are not only cleaning your physical space, but you are cleaning your mind as well. Freeing up your mental space and expanding your mental world relieves you of stress build-up that is clogging your productive system.

8. Take a shower or a bath: Taking a shower not only cleans, but also soothes your body. Of course, well all know that a good, long soak makes us feel better and it also does wonders for the appetite. Ditto a shower. And this makes sense: 70 percent of our body is composed of water and as we lose a lot of that throughout the day via sweat and body waste, we need to replenish in order to rejuvenate.

9. Visit a pleasant memory: Reading loving emails or letters that have been sent to you in the past and looking at old photographs can bring back heartfelt memories. It's a wonderful reminder that we can draw on feelings of love immediately, we just have to set our mind to it.

10. Be with nature: Whether you live in the city or the country, there are always opportunities to be in nature. Take a stroll through the park or do some hiking and take notice of the trees, plants and wildlife that surround you. Being in natural surroundings instills a sense of peace and being one with the world. Stress levels can significantly decrease in nature, without all the worries and complications of everyday life; it allows you to clear your mind and look at your current situations from another perspective.

Michelle Uy is a Certified Yoga Teacher and Owner of LoveActionYoga. She is Co-Creator of the Eat Well Feel Well Program, a yoga and nutrition program, and she is also certified to teach Yoga Thrive, a therapeutic yoga program for cancer survivors.