‘Tis the season for despair

Mornings and I are not good friends, though I work hard to make sure we remain on speaking terms.

Tomorrow, I suspect we will be barely civil.

I’m not a fan of mornings in general, but tomorrow I have an 8:00 class at the university…and with the days getting shorter, it’s gonna be very dark when I wake up in the morning.  When it has the “middle of the night” feel to waking up in the mornings, I find the day off to a rough start.

I know that many of you are not feeling inclined to get out the violins and play me some sympathetic music. Many have to get up in the dark for many months of the year…but I have planned my work life to avoid early mornings.

With the days getting shorter and the dark getting longer; with the cold seeping in, and the green of summer replaced by stark naked branches and endless browns and beiges on the landscape; with the knowledge that thick snow will soon be slicking the roads and clogging up driveways, it requires an extra diligence for many to maintain mood.

Quite simply, for many, a seasonal depressive mood hits.  For some of us, it means greater effort (sometimes unsuccessfully) in avoiding carbs, a lethargy that makes chores feel like extra work, and a general heaviness that can make regular exercise seem more difficult.

For others, it means that

• life threatens to screech to a halt,
• there is a level of irritableness that wasn’t there in July, and
• work seems strained, and
• relationships are tense.

It can be a full out depression that

• increases time in bed,
• time in the house, and
• generally threatens incapacitation.

Talk to your doctor about this, and brainstorm strategies for handling the next several months.

While the doctor will discuss with you the possibilities of medication, I will mention now the non-pharmeceutical natural anti-depressants which can make a difference:

1. Get a powerful full spectrum light. Do the research.  Rent one if you’re skeptical, but purchasing one is a smaller cost than it used to be…they have come down in price and size over the years.  We need sunshine to do well as humans, and the angle of sun in this part of the country at this time of year makes getting enough sunlight to be healthy nigh on impossible.
2. Eat right.  This is counter intuitive…when everything in you begs for cake, chips, and bread, reach for the carrots, apples and Greek yogurt. It’s hard to do…and yet when you do it, you feel better, and it becomes easier to do
3. Exercise.  This is also counter intuitive…but exercise gives the brain some “feel good” chemicals that are powerful anti-depressants.  If you can’t get to the gym, or out for a run, then try upping activity gradually and within your normal day..park at the far end of the parking lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator, make several trips to put the laundry away rather than in one efficient trip.
4. Give yourself the gift of figuring things out. Talk to someone about the patterns of mood.  Figure out what stories you tell yourself. Talk to a therapist to find ways of being proactive.
5. Gather some effective “feel good strategies” (that don’t involve carbs!)
   • Put up pictures of your favorite place to be,
   • put some fabulous quotes on your desktop or screen saver,
   • have a picture book or podcast or playlist that puts you in a different space
   • light a candle
   • get some extra special tea
   • put up some twinkly lights to cheer you up
   • develop a routine to gather weekly with friends to watch the new show you all love, or start a book club…something to look forward to
   • learn the basic components of self-compassion and practice them during a time when you might be inclined to be self critical for the struggle you are experiencing

I look for “special moments” in the day that I can take a picture of and capture it.  While I usually only take one or two of these pictures every day (this week, a foamy latte, some movie popcorn, flowers that Melanie gave me for ‘boss’ day’, a team cheering a win) I find myself looking all day for “the moment” which has my attention looking for “the good thing” rather than, by default, being grumpy and finding things to reinforce that.

What will you do to cope with the low moods these next months will want to pull you in?  Please share your ideas, and we can learn from each other!