Thursday, January 19, 2017

And it's not even February!

What is it about the winter blahs? Some of us suffer more severely than others beginning in September when the sun begins its grimly lowering arcs in earnest. Does your mood shift into low gear? Do you feel despondent, discouraged and depressed? For many of us this is a naturally occurring phenomenon and if your heritage is not of the Scandinavian or Eskimo origin, you may feel all of the above in noticeable intensity. Right now it’s time to cheer up with a little self-help!
Probably the acronym SAD preceded the naming of Seasonal Affective Disorder in an obvious attempt at linguistic cuteness. Nonetheless there are some well publicized strategies such as increasing your vitamin D intake and placing artificial light sources in your face which promise to offer simple solutions to attenuate the effects of this pernicious condition. Really it can be debilitating and make one feel like lying in bed all day. Don’t turn your face to the wall! Snap out of it! The first step is to recognize that this condition exists and that you may be a victim of it. Ha! Does that sound like certain other programs? Of course it does but it doesn’t make it any less meaningful.
Here are a couple of my tried and true strategies: See live theater, browse the seed catalogues, feed the birds and have tea at 4 pm. Stay engaged by any and all means. Whether it is for a cabaret, black box or big venue you should go to the effort of dressing and going out and being among your people. Loneliness is not your friend at this time and mingling is prescribed. Just the sight of those luxurious garden blooms can lift spirits, no matter that you have thrown away too much money in the past on gardening projects. It is about optimism for goodness sake! Go ahead and indulge yourself in some more hopefulness. It is worth the price. Those titmouses are pure pleasure in song and activity at any feeder. Put out the good stuff, the hulled sunflower chips and seeds, and guard as best you can against the silly squirrels whose craftiness in the end has to be admired. Chickadees, house finches, nuthatches, blue jays, cardinals and goldfinches will find you too so revel in the sight of them all. Enjoy a pleasant cup of Darjeeling tea in your favorite chair and perhaps butter a scone to go with it at the precise time of day when darkness begins its subtle intrusion and before you repair to the kitchen for any evening preparations.

In addition to these modest proposals, you might also create a windowsill kitchen garden of herbs. I admit that these are notoriously difficult to maintain with any success; however, the satisfaction from adding freshly grown seasoning to your dishes is not to be denied. Choose marjoram, thyme, parsley and rosemary to begin. Give them as much window light as you possibly can to prevent them from paling and stretching. You might also consider a weekly massage and frequent manicures or pedicures in order to boost your immunity against the blahs. Don’t forget to pick some bright and surprising colors. Be daring! These treatments do cost money so any home styling or care is to be encouraged and time set aside for them is well worth it. All of those colors you pay for are available elsewhere, the nail kits are affordable and there are some clever massage devices on the market too, as you well know. Banish the blahs!

So,

Celeste

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