Coping with “Winter Blues”
Hello my lovely friends. I hope that this January is finding you well. I am sitting here at my studio piano, waiting for my next lesson o begin – back at it. It seems like Christmas barely happened, and now it’s back to reality. It feels like ever since Christmas, even though everything is supposed to be back to normal, I don’t feel myself.
I feel tired, but not so much in my body. My mind is tired. My mind wants rest. My mind wants the luxury of simplicity and creativity and a break. I thought it was just not enough sleep, but after about a week of showing up to work feeling like there was a thick cloud of fog between me and the rest of the world, I knew it couldn’t just be a lack of sleep. I went from Christmas music to slow, sad acoustic playlists and at a job I normally find fulfilling I was spending my day wishing I could just be curled up in bed. That was a big red flag. It was all a bunch of big red flags. When I shared my thoughts and feelings with friends and co-workers, they all kind of said the same thing – “it’s the weather”. I knew what they meant. After the build-up to Christmas, you’re left with the dark, gloomy and uninspiring winter weather. No more big events to ramp up to, no festive events to attend or attractions to visit. You just feel kind of SAD (see what I did there?)
I’m no stranger to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and as the American Psychiatric Association points out in their description of the disorder, “SAD is more than just ‘winter blues’.” They point out that the symptoms can be severe enough to interfere with how you function daily. Long story short – SAD is when your brain reads the signals outside – less sunlight and shorter days – and reacts leaving you feeling fatigued, depressed, lonely, and demotivated to name a few. For a more in-depth dive into SAD, read about it HERE.
So, I’m not sure I’ve quite made my way passed Winter Blues and into official SAD territory, but it’s certainly feeling significant. I needed to do something about it because I am not going to start my 2020 by letting a chemical imbalance stop me from enjoying myself. Here’s what I’m doing to try to break free, and if you’re feeling like this also maybe we can all ride this wave out together and back to feeling ourselves again.
Nutrition/Vitamins– It was really the first thing I thought of. In November I usually start seeing some statuses floating around Facebook, gently reminding friends to start taking Vitamin D. Well I probably should have listened. I have recently been trying to eat less meat in my diet, but that also means trying to find protein substitutes which I’ve not been doing a great job at. I’ve been eating poorly since December and need to start making myself actual meals again. But to help while I try to find my groove in meal-planning again, I bought one of those multi-vitamins. I was about just buy Vitamin D when I realized my body is probably lacking MOST of the vitamins it needs. I don’t know if I can really correlate this to how I’ve been feeling lately but I do feel better after a few days of taking these. Whether it’s a placebo or not, I’ll take the side-effects.
Physical Activity – I know, I know same old story that you read everywhere. And if you’re like me, this might instigate and eye-roll or a grunt of reluctance. But find what works for you. It doesn’t need to be rigorous. It can be as simple as going for a walk. For me it was committing to my annual 30-Days of Yoga Challenge with the Yoga with Adriene community. 1 yoga practice, every day, for 30 days. She has lots of others – even some targeted for SAD or winter blues.
Rest – This is the hardest one I think – allowing yourself to rest. When I did finally get time off, I purposefully made zero plans that day and told myself “If I sleep all day, then I sleep all day. And that’s okay” (and no I didn’t mean to rhyme). Allowing yourself to relax and binge Netflix on your day off. Or stay in bed and read all day. You don’t have to be productive every second of every day. I know it’s hard to give yourself that permission. Your body is confused, and you are allowed to tend to it (I’m starting to sound like Adriene because I’m 9 days in now). It’s okay if you need a break from your friends for a bit – just be honest with where you are so they know why you’re pulling back a bit.
Plan for Little Excitements – For me I think a big factor of my “winter blues” is that all the excitement is over, and I don’t have anything new to look forward to. Last year I was planning a trip to Cuba around this time. But I don’t have any solid vacation plans right now. I am trying to plan little things – drinks with people I know and feel comfortable with, movies with my mom, playing The Sims all day, maybe even a little mini vacation. Find little events that make you excited - whether it’s a free night at the art gallery or a music concert. Give yourself something new to look forward to.
This is just a little glimpse into what I’ve been finding helpful, but as usual, talk to a professional if you’re feeling really lost and stuck. I know these things feel small, and sometimes the small stuff feels like it’s too small to make a big difference. It does though if you are giving it a proper try. I don’t feel 100% better, but that’s an unrealistic expectation. That fog has lifted though – I’m still working on the motivation and energy, but I don’t feel as disassociated with the world anymore. That’s a pretty good start. Keep trying, keep working through it. We’ll get to the sunshine eventually my friends!
Stay open, stay positive.