Winter is Coming

I know many that dread the coming of winter. I do not care for it. For many, it is the dreaded Seasonal Affective Disorder where one is depressed at certain seasons of the year; most often Autumn or winter. For me, it is usually Autumn; when the weather takes a turn to the gray cloudy days. If you have ever been depressed or lacked energy without a reason you can discover, you have likely suffered S.A.D.

I am one that begins the affliction in Autumn. My dislike of winter springs from the cold weather. I hate being cold. Given the choice, on a cold day, you will likely find be in my chair near a source of heat, be it a fireplace, a space heater, or even a heating pad, sipping a hot beverage and reading anything I can find.

Autumn is my difficult time. It is not the temperature. It is the grayness. Of all the colors on an artists palette, gray would be the one I banned. Now that I think of it, all US Navy ships are painted gray but I find them beautiful in their way. Fine, Mr Artist. Paint the ships gray but not the clouds.

After doing research, I discovered ways to keep myself more cheery during these times. Some are free. Others take a little investing but I have found they all help.

The first thing I do when Autumn comes is ensure my UV lights are all working. I have invested in four. They are not expensive. I use Circadian Optics lamps but there are many others. I place these lights in my living room, kitchen, dining room and bathroom. You do not need so many as to replace other lights in the room. Just one is enough unless the room is a very large one. Turn them on during the day and off at night like normal lamps.

Lights are not magic. They help tremendously but staying active does too. Do not sit and wallow in misery. Get up a do something. I have been known to haunt stairwells, traveling up and down, over and over. Is the sun finally peeking out from the clouds? Run outside if you can! Soak up as much of that precious sunshine as you can while it is there.

Vitamin D in large quantities. At least 1000 IU or up to 4000 IU. Get it from food or supplements but get it. The main sources of vitamin D are sunshine (thus the reason to run outside whenever you spot the sun), fatty fish, egg yolks, fish liver oils, fortified foods, and supplements.

Remember to get enough sleep and if that is not enough, eat cake. No, seriously, eat cake. Just keep it under control, especially if your not doing so well at the "keep active" bit. How can you not be happy eating cake? The sugar is a boost that accompanies all the happy memories that are associated with cake. Do NOT bake a cake and eat it all by yourself... in one sitting. Fine, wrap it up in a party or something if you can not have a cake for no other purpose than having a cake. Share it and make other people happy too. My children become very happy when I offer them cake and it is no one's birthday. Allow your cake to be a happiness bomb. It goes boom and is quickly gone but still has accomplished its purpose.

These are the things I do to stave off the grayness that is Autumn and Winter and help me survive until spring colors erupt again. Maybe they can help you too. And do you really need gray skies to justify a cake?