Manage living through winter.

May Day has come and gone, the trees have blossomed, and the birds are singing again. All my little tricks seemed to have helped me sail through. I think the key is to be vigilant. Who knows where I’ll be next winter, but if I’m not fortunate enough to be in the tropics or subtropics, I have confidence that I can pull off escaping a serious case of the winter blues again.

geese honking overhead
the smell of soup cooking
the first day of snow
leafless trees silhouetted against dusk
blue Christmas lights
hot teas
coming in from the cold
being under the covers
watching the birds at the feeder

It wasn’t until the third year of routinely going to my Dr in the spring complaining of a lack of energy and lack of interest that he suggested I had seasonal affective disorder; in effect, the dark cold days of winter slowly drain all my joie de vivre. It’s a horrible thing to feel that way, but there are things I’ve learned to do before it can sneak up on me & I’m lost…

SO… for the next four months I’ll vigilantly:

Use my lightbox for 30 min each day
Eat well, avoiding starchy carbs
Exercise regularly
Meditate every morning
Watch my speech & not disparage winter (it is what it is)
Stay warm

and
Take a class to get me out of the house
Take a walk (cold or no cold) when I start to go downhill (instead of reading, sleeping, or watching TV)
Do hard things first (putting them off is draining)
Feed the birds (they remind me that the world is sleeping, not dead)