Seasonal Affective Disorder & Renewal
We have moved into to deep, dark chill of winter. The alarm goes off, it is still dark outside, yet work calls, “Get up, get up, you have to get moving.” Inside you answer, “I’m tired, it’s cold and dark and snowy; I need to sleep.” Your arm reaches out from under the warm covers and brushes against the cool comforter as you hit the snooze alarm several times. Your eyes open heavily. The glitter has fallen. The packages are unwrapped. All that time consumed in shopping, purchasing, wrapping, giving, receiving, and enjoying—now what? The ball has dropped, the horns have blown, the fireworks have boomed, and the party that streamed on for weeks has ended. Now what?
We could talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a type of depression that can be brought on with limited exposure to daylight, post holiday blues, or we could talk about something else. Before we talk about that “something else”, let it be noted that SAD is real and should you experience the following, do not delay in making an appointment to be evaluated. Help is out there.
10 Common Signs of SAD:
- Disabling Fatigue – a drain on one’s energy for no apparent reason leaving one mentally and physically exhausted
- Withdrawal – self-alienation from social events, hobbies, family and friends
- Lack of Focus – changes in memory and focus and difficulty making routine decisions
- Sleep Difficulties – sudden changes in sleep patterns, ranging from hypersomnia to insomnia.
- Disheartened & Deflated Feelings – experiencing the blues, feelings such as self-loathing, worthlessness, hopelessness
- Joint & Muscle Pain – dull aches and pains throughout the body
- Irritability – riding an emotional rollercoaster and not understanding where the ups and downs are coming from
- Fluctuating Weight & Appetite – weight loss or gain and using food to comfort emotions
- Anxiety – mild restlessness to severe stress and jitteriness to an inability to cope with life
- Recklessness – risky compulsive addictive behaviors normally not present regularly
What is that “something else” we eluded to earlier? Renewal. True, we are in winter, but renewal is still the call. After the confetti is swept up and the tree is down, most would say, “Well now the winter doldrums are here, but we say, “Let’s focus on renewal of mind, body, and spirit.”
How do we renew in the dead of winter? It is winter, yet inside winter lives the breath right before spring. Is spring the only season of renewal? Of course not! What better time than the beginning of the year to renew our lives, to renew our commitment to our selves. See renewal as a pristine blanket of snow covering a field, full of wide-open possibilities. What more synchronized time to start a new path, a new chapter, a new life? Winter is as just about renewal as much as spring.
Begin your renewal by planting your new seeds below the frost line so that they can push through the soil in the thawed breath of spring. Plant the seeds of renewal of mind, body, and soul. Cultivate your new direction, your new plan, and your new dream, whatever it may be, now. Stay with it. Stay with your self. Stay with the changes.
Mind. Renew your mind with loving and kind thoughts turned toward self and other. This creates that rich and fertile soil. Expand your field.
Body. Renew your body. Begin anew. Listen to its wisdom. Feed your body nutritionally and emotionally and physically. Renew how you feel about the vehicle that drives you to and fro every day. It’s the only one you get. Do your preventive maintenance. Schedule those routine mammograms, colonoscopies, and Diabetic screenings, to mention a few.
Spirit. Renew your spirit. Go outside in the brisk air, feel the frozen ground, hear the crunch of snow under your feet. Look at the beautiful barren trees and their message of stillness and willingness to change from season to season. Take the time to meditate, practice yoga, pray, follow whatever pulls you and fills you, positively.
Let this New Year in the season of winter renew you. Don’t focus on what has been coined “the doldrums of winter” but instead see the gift after the glitter falls and the festivities fade.
The Staff at Doctors on Call would like to wish our clients, readers, and associates a healthy 2018. May this be an extraordinary year of renewal for all! DOC is in the business of helping others. We are here for your healthcare and preventative medicine needs in all seasons.