From this
To this
in only a week.
I can't believe it. It seems like I just terminated with my SADS patients for the spring and summer, and already the calls are coming in. The days are short, the nights are cold. And the bloggers, like Master of Irony, are worried.
But come on, Chicagoans! The sun peeks out every so often, and although it might be cold, the wind doesn't always whip up, it's not supposed to tomorrow, and we live for tomorrow in our neck of the woods.
Get out and jump in some leaves. Put on a heavy sweatshirt, get a pair of warm, fuzzy, boots at Target. Black ice in Indiana? Who cares! (Well, those of you who commute to or live in Indiana do, I suppose, sorry about that).
So a quick check list on battling November thru March seasonal depression:
What's this I hear about Wii, anyway? Should I go see someone who has it? I've always wanted to play drums.
therapydoc
To this
in only a week.I can't believe it. It seems like I just terminated with my SADS patients for the spring and summer, and already the calls are coming in. The days are short, the nights are cold. And the bloggers, like Master of Irony, are worried.
But come on, Chicagoans! The sun peeks out every so often, and although it might be cold, the wind doesn't always whip up, it's not supposed to tomorrow, and we live for tomorrow in our neck of the woods.
Get out and jump in some leaves. Put on a heavy sweatshirt, get a pair of warm, fuzzy, boots at Target. Black ice in Indiana? Who cares! (Well, those of you who commute to or live in Indiana do, I suppose, sorry about that).
So a quick check list on battling November thru March seasonal depression:
A brisk walk every day (or if you're me, a bike ride when there's no precip or wind chill). Just do it. Bundle up and do it. Don't worry what you look like.This isn't a comprehensive list. I know there's another one on the blog somewhere. I just thought you should know, it's not your imagination. The weather does affect mood, probably because we're simply receiving less by way of sensory stimulation. If we choose to stay in we make matters worse. It's a challenge.
Turn on the lights when you get home in the evening, all of them. Pay the electricity, but spare the depression. Ditto about the heat in the house, if only for an hour or two, get warm.
Make soup. Big pots of thick, wonderful soup.
Don't think about the weather. Think about anything but the weather.
Make it your business to get out and visit someone who is shut in.
See how much it might cost to buy some used skis, or snowshoes, a sled or a tray. If you can afford it, consider an exercise club membership. There should be some deals coming up.
Take hot showers.
Get creative, not drunk. Make your holiday cards if you can, and make them meaningful.
Don't even think about spending a lot on presents this year. Everybody gets it that times are hard.
Sing.
Learn to whistle.
Call a friend. Play a game. Write a book. Move the furniture.
What's this I hear about Wii, anyway? Should I go see someone who has it? I've always wanted to play drums.
therapydoc
Comments
And I don't think the Wii is all that exciting, but that's just me...
http://yoga.about.com/od/bikramyogahotyoga/a/bikram.htm
What is Hot Yoga?
Hot Yoga is a series of yoga poses done in a heated room.. .. 95-100 degrees. A yoga session at this temperature promotes profuse sweating which rids the body of toxins. It also makes the body very warm, and therefore more flexible.
What is Bikram Yoga?
Bikram Choudhury is a Hot Yoga innovator. . .26 yoga poses, including two pranayama exercises, each of which is performed twice in a single 90 minute class. . .
. . .involved in a lawsuit over his attempt to copyright his series of 26 poses done in a hot room.
The lawsuit was resolved with an out-of-court settlement in which Choudhury agreed not to sue the members of a San Francisco-based collective of Hot Yoga teachers and they agreed not to use the Bikram name. Bikram remains a very controversial figure in the yoga world.
I'm surprised no one has sued for manslaughter.
I'd say a workout in such a hot room (95-100 is really hot)shouldn't go any longer than ten minutes.
Did I ever tell you guys the story of getting lost with my family in the dessert (Machtesh Rimon) mid-day? One day.
The Wii has yoga. I think it is fun but almost never play it cause I don't know how to turn it on with all the gadgetry that my boys have put down stairs. It is a wonder if I can turn on the tv thesee days.
The Wii has yoga. I think it is fun but almost never play it cause I don't know how to turn it on with all the gadgetry that my boys have put down stairs. It is a wonder if I can turn on the tv thesee days.
This time of year it really is an active struggle for me to stay active and to not sink into a rut. I am trying to invest money into some of that under armour stuff though so I won't be so afraid to keep running outside through the winter.
Great post and suggestions though. I actually just made your veggie soup from the yeshiva cook book, good stuff! :)
Great post and good ideas.
And Rachel, don't chintz on the garlic or salt.
Another one I like to do is have more get togethers, invite freinds and family over to share food and drink.
Of course, I like Wii too. Wii gets the whole family off the couch, especially boxing. You can get one heck of a workout from beating up a cartoon character on the screen. There's something to be said for kicking the crud out of someone who doesn't really exist!
I can't say I suffer from SAD (I actually like winter, as long as it snows), but I have noticed that the major depressive episodes in my life have all occurred in the fall. So it may be one more factor in causing overall depression.
So there goes our theory.
And some say that people live longer in Northern climes. Makes us hardier, or something.
If a person lives in the north, however, it's all about keeping the feet warm. And the neck. The clothes, mainly, make the difference. Keep that core warm, you're good. Depressed, sure. But good.
Muse, is London always gray and humid or only when I visit?
I like plain yoga. I put my mat in the center of my living room and just break into a few poses here and there.
Micky said...
“If you’re not seeking the God of the Bible, His power, then by default you’re in the other camp,” Cummings said.
Yoga turns kids’ minds toward Hindu gods, Cummings said. “The other source of supernatural power is Satan.
I'm kind of a sunlight addict, if there is such a thing, which I why I enjoy living in Texas. But even here, the days do grow shorter, darker, and gloomier around about now.
p.s. I just made my holiday cards!
(And I'm all for thick soup, too, and compact fluorescents, even in still-sunny places.)
You have cold -- but at least you got those beautiful trees first. That always amazes me, that thing trees do.