like, it’s still dark at 5pm, there are barely any sports on, still bitterly cold and austere and it hurts to go outside, but you’re not even looking forward to christmas or the new year. the new year is here, and it’s largely the same as last year. except you’re getting older.
Happiness, excitement and anticipation are cycles. In order to experience them again to their full, you must allow them to fade for awhile. Trying to hold onto them for too long is causing you more grief than the actual lack of them in the moment.
Take a moment to breathe, and appreciate where you are, what you have, and who you’ve shared it with, before you rush onward.
I just like sleeping until 10 every day.
V nice
Buddhism in essence
You could do what they do in colder places and buy brightly colored stuff for your place. It’ll still be dark outside but at least the inside will look cheerier.
You could also try planning some beginning of the year parties with friends. That would certainly give you events to look forward to.
It’s not the best strategy, but if your holiday season is just a giant mess of chaos and stress the return to a normal schedule can be very welcome.
Yeah I was going to say, soulless drudgery sounds like a release at this point.
We’re past the winter solstice. Take note of the sun setting a bit earlier each day. That always gives me a boost because I can look at my phone and see that condition improving. Good luck!
You mean setting later each day?
It’s getting lighter in the evenings already!
Ha! Dumbass mistyping. Thanks, you’re right.
That makes sense. I was like “fucking vampires!”
Don’t take down your Christmas lights (inside at least). Make hot chocolate at home, create rituals for yourself
I don’t know where you’re at, but I take a weekly trip to a greenhouse. I’m not a plant person unless they’re plastic, but it really does give a nice vitamin D boost and the smells are usually amazing. Take a stroll, many of them have benches where you can sit and contemplate. Mine even does a Sunday yoga class that you can watch or join. It gets me through the doldrums.
I moved to Edmonton, AB from the US South and holy crap, the darkness is unreal. Even the locals struggle with this pitch-black 4pm nonsense.
That said, the city has a lot of focus on indoor spaces that really saves it. I used to go to West Ed mall just to walk around somewhere without a coat for free, you know?
The real gem of the city is the Muttart Conservatory though - and a year-long pass is like $30?? For an indoor rainforest??
Makes it worth living in the winter.
Trips to greenhouses and conservatories are a great idea for a good number of reasons. However, don’t read the rest of this if you don’t want any spoilers.
spoiler
Greenhouses, in general, may not be a very reliable way to get a nice vitamin D boost. I’ll spare you the details, but most of the covering materials specifically developed for greenhouse use will significantly reduce or outright block UV light. You may still get some limited UV exposure, but you wouldn’t want to go into that situation with the expectation of getting a nice boost in vitamin D from it.
ABP…. Means, Always Be Planning.
Plan for the next vacation, and do it before the end of the current one. I don’t mean just talk about it. Set some plans, put down deposits, whatever.
This method works well for me. Having something to look forward to is always a good thing. I try to schedule some kind of small trip or event every month.
Celebrating the quarter and cross quarter days can work for atheists, science fans and Pagans alike. You get a holiday every month and a half. You can simply celebrate the changing of seasons/Earth’s relative position to the Sun or get all magick with it, as you like. The quarter days are the solstices and equinoxes, the cross quarter days are the points in between. Halloween (Samhain) and May Day (Beltane) are the famous cross quarter days, but they happen in winter (Imbolc, Feb 1- also known as Groundhog Day) and summer (Lammas/Lunasa, Aug1).
Re:depression/ing
Highly recommend bright light therapy the moment you wake up or at the desired wakeup time. I can’t imagine what it must be like for those unaware of these things, the darkness would have me on the brink
Imma do a second “dose” right now, the alternative reality makes me shudder
Adding onto this, I recommend a sunrise alarm. I wake up at 5 am every morning and it makes the transition from sleep much jarring.
I wear a sleep mask so it never really helped me all that much even though I have one and experimented with it. I’ll never dispose of it but it more or less collects dust
Interesting! Do you find the mask makes a big difference? I just read about them and was giving it some thought.
Hell ya. Can’t sleep without it
Can you elaborate? I’ve seen these, I’ve seen what they’re “supposed” to do, but can you explain from your personal POV how it helps you, if that makes sense?
It does a few things but it basically entrains your circadian rhythms that mediate wakefulness and sleep. I’m no scientist but they are helpful for both insomnia and depression (particularly SAD) and I find it to be an indispensible part of my morning routine in waking me up and orienting me and fixing my sleep to a proper schedule.
And the light is important in the winter anyway because of the dreariness and darkness but I can’t justify why
Thank you! It sounds like one of these would be very helpful for me. I’m a night owl who works in a 9-5 world, and waking up in the morning is a huge mix of depression and anxiety even if I’ve gotten 6-7 hours of sleep or so.
Dude, try it. They sometimes have em at Costco or you can get the glasses if you want freedom of movement while using it
Oh nice! Did you talk to a doctor about it or anything first, or did you just decide to give it a go one day and liked the results?
So many times this. I love my light box. It keeps me sane.
The holidays are a drain and I’m grateful they’re over with. We’ve got better things we could be doing.
This is me as well. The stress of the holidays brings me to the brink of collapse until I get to go back to normalcy again. I hate December.
You dont need permission to make a day special op
Cue [John Cleece voice}
Do you have a permit for this celebration?
I double down and use it as a time for reflection and self improvement. There’s nothing else going on so I might as well work out a little bit more and focus on projects that I want to accomplish. My wife and I use it to plan things for ourselves that we normally wouldn’t have to time to do during the rest of the year because of friend/family obligations. We also tend to get really into documentaries and stuff around this time, especially unexplained mysteries/true crime. There’s something about the winter that seems more liminal to us than Halloween.
Started doing this 50% in 2022, really leaned into it in 2023, and am actually looking forward to it this year.
Organize events with friends. Half or our weekends are books with 5 to 10 people coming home. We play boardgame and eat far to much cheese.
Go to Australia . Failing that, take Vitamin D
Thanks for reminder
Look up the cultural practice / philosophy of “hygge” it’s basically meant to answer this (but extends beyond just winter months too).
