Even in parts of the country where winter has been relatively mild — no onslaught of record-breaking snow or cold, no weeks on end of shoveling, no three foot drifts that may be fun for the kiddos but exhausting for the adults — it’s hard not to feel the drag of the chillier months.
Skies are swollen and gray. Days are damp. Roads are treacherous with black ice.
Some of us are affected by SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder, and try though we might to turn our faces toward any source of light we can find, winter still seems to Drag. Our. Spirits. Down.
A quick touch-base with most of my friends reveals the very same somber state, and generally that’s true regardless of location. That said, I admit there isn’t a one who lives in a sunny southern California zip, much less along a beautiful beach in Bali, Belize, the Bahamas…
The result?
Like me, and possibly like you, they are dealing with a dreaded dose of doom and gloom. They – we – you – are slouching and slumping, sunk into sadness, and working each and every day to fight a dreary disposition.
Now I might say that everyone can use a mid-winter pick-me-up. (Yes, a sun-sational seashore comes to mind.)
And while the Mayo Clinic offers prescriptive interactions that include light therapy and medications, my own preference is for something more “active” — if not an actual exotic destination in which bright skies are plentiful (and the drinks are tropical), and if not finding a place in my imagination to recreate a similar scene — these are among my go-to tricks to fight the moody blues that inevitably hit.
Fragrance!
This one isn’t a bad idea. Aromas are powerful in evoking memory, but also, in sparking the sensual or conjuring the cozy. I may not care to venture out of my home office onto slippery roads to purchase a bunch of blooms — much as I am tempted — but perhaps a spritz of perfume could add a floral touch to the inside air.
Another possibility. This is a daily habit I’ve picked up in the past year: Vitamin D.
Is it helping? Hard to say. But I doubt it hurts.
My fallback position whenever any unpleasantness squeezes the good humor out of me?
Art. And if not art specifically, then color.
Those extra red pillows tucked in my closet?
I need to pull them out. All of them. Scatter them anywhere and everywhere for the juicy jolt of renewing rouge rouge rouge.
The fuchsia towels I snapped up eagerly at Tar-gét on sale many moons ago?
Time to mix them in with the red towels tucked Oh So High on the bathroom storage shelf.
For myself, even when light is wanting, I know my mood to be enhanced by color nearly immediately. WebMD tells us about color psychology in our interiors, referring to color as
… a universal, nonverbal language… that can be leveraged to affect emotions and behavior…
In fact, research tells us that red and blue impact the brain. Check this out from Cracked.com, on the 5 Crazy Ways the Colors Red and Blue Control Your Life, which explains the multiple responses to red (in particular) as the color of passion, power, and yes… danger. But it seems that the color red can actually make you physically stronger as well, according to Science Daily.
Okay, then! Red pillows it is! (And maybe a red shirt, red lipstick, and a little Revlon Raven Red or Vixen polish on the toe nails.)
While I certainly don’t suffer as I once did (all the years in the snow and cold, and my deepest empathy/sympathy to those in the northeast and midwest who are dealing with a brutal winter), February – usually mid-to-late month – is always the time when the SADness hits the worst.
What else might assist as I gaze out at the snow and slip-slidey surfaces, feeling housebound and blue?
Seeing red. Dusting off my fave sandals and sexy stilettos in anticipation of warming weather, and in the meantime, if only for myself, enjoying that pedicure.
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Interesting research on red.
I find myself less energetic in the winter. By this point, I feel exhausted. Going out in the cold feels like a battle and I want a break!
I too am trying extra Vitamin D to help feel better. I’ve also recently purchased a light therapy machine that comes with 3 brightness settings available to try along with and a timer.
As someone who grew up in Denver and then lived in Phoenix for 10 years, I’ve truly struggled with the significant lack of sunlight that comes with enduring the long winters in Ohio.
I am so needing sunshine! I struggle when we have too many days of gray like recently. I can try to exercise indoors, but it doesn’t give me the same boost as getting outside to walk/run/hike. Music helps, so does escaping into a novel (especially if I can read while soaking in a warm bath. Sometimes calling a friend or planning/dreaming about an upcoming trip. Overeating makes me feel worse, so when I’m most tempted, I try my best to avoid the kitchen…but warm, soothing coffee or hot tea feels nurturing.
Bright colors, warm scents, even shopping online can help me. I can also attest that romping in the bed with a loved one gives an immediate boost! Just be careful to lock the doors when you have five children who are homebound for the duration, as we learned the hard way.
I haven’t tried light therapy or supplements and may need to plan for that next winter, and we’re working on the whole “Knock before you enter,” lecture. ;).
Thanks for joining the discussion on this one, Missy. There is some interesting data out there about stress and cortisol, and I suspect that the American way of life may be doing in a lot of tired, multitasking women… Whatever their age.
Oddly enough I thought I was not affected by this or perhaps I was not affected when I was younger or lived in warmer and more southern locations. I have found that exercise, outside activities regardless of the cold, and vitamin D helps my minor winter doldrums.