“If
we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes
taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
― Anne Bradstreet
This
quote is really a nice reminder of the rule of polar (no pun intended)
opposites: without extreme contrast, one may not be as appreciative of the
potpourri of colors, things, feelings and emotions that are out there to be
experienced. Hot makes us appreciate cold, while white gives black new depth.
Sad makes happy take on new found value as hate makes love glow brighter. We
often define these opposites, wrongfully by the way, as good and/or bad, while
they are really all just part of the process, the journey of our lives. The level
to which we can embrace each as they come up in our lives is the degree to
which we start to live a more enlightened life.
The Winter Blues – Is it Real or
Imagined?
Depending on our geographical location,
winter, as the physical change agent that it is, can have varying degrees
(again, no pun intended) of impact on us. Regardless, there are consistencies in
the winter season such as decreased daylight and internal bodily cycle changes,
regardless of the actual temperature drop you experience.
During
the winter season, days are shorter with reduced periods of daylight available
for Melatonin production and Vitamin D metabolism, with the lack of both having
been linked to mild depression. This depression can escalate up the scale to
even the more severe cases of SAD (Seasonal
Affective Disorder). The percentages of the population affected by SAD, as
you might imagine, rises in correlation with the temperature drop and low
sunlight levels as we move from the Southernmost states up through central
states, and finally into the North. It must be noted that there is a large difference
between the two ends of the depressive spectrum, mild cases all the way up to
SAD, but in general this is what the term ‘winter blues’ refers to. And it is
real.
Add
to this diminished daylight a drop in temperatures, especially in the Northern
states, and you have a human body that is biorhythmically encouraged to
simulate the hibernation patterns of our animal friends. Things like craving
carbohydrates, sleeping a lot and late, going out of the house minimally and
being less active in general also add to these actual depressive feelings, the
winter blues.
Look Better, Feel Better, Live
Better
Depending
on our area of inhabitance, we will all experience some temperature drops
during the winter months, so rotating the appropriate clothing and footwear,
including outer garments if necessary, will get us set up to take the chill out
of battling the elements. Giving your closets an overhaul, donating unused
items and getting the blood flowing with a healthy dose of organizational zest
will help bolster your mood and get you ready to stay warm and sane, despite Mother
Nature’s cold-hearted mischief.
Staying
active, even if you must will it upon yourself, is mandatory. If you lose the
stimulation of physical exercise (endorphins), and add in a hibernating tendency
with sunlight depravation, you will almost surely bottom out this winter.
Staying home and nesting is actually a positive as long as it’s in moderation
and not playing into the possibility of winter isolation. Above all, remember
the sun will sing again, and the tune will be that much sweeter after enduring the
winter blues.
“Laughter
is the sun that drives winter from the human face.”
- Victor Hugo
PS: Social
interaction, especially when it leads to a couple of laughs with friends, may
be the best cure for the adversity of winter...
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