Dealing with the Darkness

Posted On January 20, 2019

Disclaimer: This post contains absolutely no affiliate links, mostly because I’m too lazy and would rather just give you the info on what’s worked for me than figure out how to get a kick back from doing so.

While the days are technically getting longer, we are still in the throes of a New England Winter. This means that when it isn’t storming the forecast is often shades of gray or so cold that the kiss of the sun is not worth the risk of the frostbite. While most of us do our best to pass the long season with skiing, skating, sledding and anything else that gets us outside when we can, most New Englanders suffer from some level of seasonal affective disorder, or as we like to call it, the Winter Blues.

I’ve been fighting it most of my life. Usually, it starts to kick in around now and I’m a cranky nether beast by March when my Vitamin D reserves really bottom out. This year I started to feel it in November and decided it was time to change things up to try to keep the winter blues from settling in for the long haul.

First and foremost, I decided to change up my vitamins. I’ve tried most everything over the years, from simply supplementing D to taking St. John’s Wort, and still hadn’t found something that worked reliably for me. So I decided to jump on the Ritual bandwagon. This trendy little vitamin is supposed to give women under 50 what they most need without a lot of fillers. I took the full leap of faith, chucked my old supplement routine and just went on Ritual for a month. (I will warn you, while the minty coating helps them go down, it doesn’t eliminate the fish burps.) About two weeks in, I started to feel like I might be sleeping better. Three weeks in I noticed a definite difference in my energy levels. I’m a little over a month in now, and I’m pretty sold on the product.

The boost in energy also allowed me to do something I had been attempting since my son was born. I use to do Yoga daily. I was never amazing, I couldn’t flip into a handstand from a forward fold or anything, but I always did at least 15 minutes a day, all the way up to a few days before I delivered. I never quite found the time for a regular practice within the sweet chaos of motherhood and I missed it horribly. So on New Year’s Day, I registered myself for the Yoga with Adriene’s Dedicate 30 Day Challenge. I’ve tried these challenges before and usually give up when I’m still at day 10 a month in. Today is day 19, I haven’t missed a single one, and I feel better than I have in years. I really recommend checking this lady out. She’s gentle, self-deprecating, a little weird (in a good way), and focuses as much on the mindfulness aspects of yoga as the physical aspects. She’s got videos that range from 7 minutes to an hour and they provide a great at home yoga practice.

I’ve also given myself a project. Like many of you, my husband and I both got sucked in to Tidy Up with Marie Kondo. For those of you who have read her book, the show is actually way better. There’s just something about seeing someone trying to pare down and organize 150 pairs of sneakers that makes your own stuff seem more manageable (in less, of course, you own 150 pairs of sneakers). We set the goal of getting the house organized in time to host our son’s 4th birthday in a few months. It gives us something productive to do when the cabin fever really sets in and the lad loves helping with it. We’ll see if he still feels that way when we get to his toys…

Finally, I try to make sure I force myself outside for at least 15 minutes a day, regardless of the weather. Between the dog, the chickens, the ducks, and general upkeep of the house and grounds, this one more or less takes care of itself. For those of you who don’t have these obligations, I really recommend getting out there somehow. Bundle up as much as you need to. When I can convince my little sidekick to come with me it sometimes takes us longer to get dressed than the actual amount of time we spend outside, but we always feel better for it. We look for animal tracks in the snow, check the buds on the fruit trees, make sure nothing has disturbed the garlic beds, and bring treats to the girls.

It’s only January. There’s still a lot of winter to cover. This is just what’s working for me, for now. Try these if they appeal to you. I think what’s most important is making space for yourself. Grab coffee with a friend, even if it’s over the phone. Take a hot bath with candles. Throw on your big coat and boots and walk through the woods in the snow. Do whatever brings light to your dark days and know that spring is coming sooner than we think.