The leaves are turning, the jumpers are back out, soon the clocks will be going back and we'll be entering the Winter darkness... I hate the darkness, and if, like me, you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or the Winter Blues, this time of year can fill you with dread. The dark mornings. Night setting in before you've left work. The life battery never quite feeling charged. If this sounds familiar, then you're in the right place, because here are a bunch of ideas that could mean that...

Dinner, art and a room full of strangers who close their eyes and draw with you. It shouldn't work. It absolutely does.

The right hobby can reduce anxiety, lift low mood, improve sleep and build genuine social connection. Here's what the evidence says – and which activities in St Albans are worth trying.