Cure end of summer blues

HOW TO CURE END-OF-SUMMER BLUES (MSNBC)

Plan a special event: Do something with people whom you like. It can be a pot luck dinner at a park, a group of friends getting together for a "spa evening," spending one evening or weekend for the "girls" or the "guys" to see a marathon of a theme of old movies or something that is different and totally fun. Are there birthdays or anniversaries or religious holidays coming up in the fall which could be used as an excuse for making the day even more special than normal? Using it as an "excuse" to go away or invite people to do something special.

Change your routine: If you always eat cereal for breakfast, eat French toast. Take different transportation to work. Add a workout to your routine for the great bathing suit you want to get into next summer.

Reach out to others: Add people to your life. Make it a point to meet a new person every week. If you always pick your kids up from school or a soccer game and don't know the other parents you see very well, suggest a potluck dinner. Call old friends or relatives in different cities whom you haven't seen in years and "make a date" for a longer phone call. Then have a nice visit with them without having to leave home.

Learn something new: Go to a bookstore or library and go to a section you don't usually frequent. Choose a book there and read it. Learn to cook. Learn a language. Take advantage of the long evenings the fall will bring; the nights that don't make you want to be outside, to do something constructive inside.

Plan next summer: Make a list of the summer activities you wanted to do this year but didn't get a chance to. Or the places you wanted to visit but didn't have time or the money to do it and start planning a way to get it done next summer so you have no regrets. Put the adventure back into your life or if you never had it, begin now even if you never get away from home. It's free, it will give you a new perspective and it will give you a break from routine.