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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