Feeling SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder

As the daylight hours shrink so might your optimistic outlook on life. As the summer months fade it is common for your energy levels to decrease welcoming back your old friend (note, sarcasm intended) seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Its affects vary from mild to severe, but it’s quite common for yu to get hit with a case of the blues as the seasons change.

You may just be sensitive to the seasons or you could have a psychological anchor to something from you past which took place at a particular time of year that prompts your singing the blues every time the environment resembles the time of the season that something that caused a prolonged sadness, disappointment, loss or other tragic life challenge.

Rates of depression generally increase reaching the heights (the number of depressed individuals increase while their healthy states of minds decrease) of blueness right around the holidays. This we know, if you can hang on, you can make it through this period of time when you’re not feeling so exuberant about life.

Besides depression, other markers of seasonal affective disorder include trouble sleeping (which could range from not being able to sleep to sleeping a lot but never feeling rested), lack of energy, and your feelings can be “right there” having you on the verge of emotional outbreak or upset just waiting for the slightest triggering.

Other symptoms include weight gain due to increased carb intake, as well as other tendencies to self-medicate. Also, when you’re not feeling on your game, your family and social relationships can suffer and as your immune systems declines, you are more susceptible to seasonal illness, cold and flu.

Your life has seasons, just like the world where we live does, but you don’t have to let it get to you. First of all, if you’re on a track of doing certain things to make your life better and have made commitments to yourself or someone else to do things on a regular basis, by all means, keep doing them.

There are things you can do to improve your mood to help give you the energy you need, like getting outside. I know, it’s not nice, like it was during the summer, but find joy in getting out, taking a brisk walk and breathe the fresh air. Let it flow throughout your circulatory system. This is good work. Bundle up according to the weather conditions. It will feed your cells and you will feel better (even if it is a little less pleasant than a summer stroll).

There is a lot to be said about not being cooped up inside, so if you’re feeling restricted, then un-restrict yourself and get out of the house. Go to the (I know, if you can still find one) library, go “window shopping” (you don’t have to buy anything). There are lots of places you can peruse which are open to the public and may be accessed at no charge.  Take out some time to visit with family and friends.

Put yourself on a positive track by setting up regular visits with a counselor, coach, therapist, or member of clergy, who can help you turn this difficult time into a masterful piece of work, that will make you feel better, and you’ll be proud knowing that you will have something positive to reflect on at a time when you might have rather felt like hibernating.

Find a public service organization or charity you could support by volunteering. In this way you stave off your emotional lull, create an opportunity to meet new people, and make the world a better place. Amen.

 

How to Turn Your Blues Into Blue Skies

Ever have one of those days when you’re feeling a little blue?

You know, you look around, and it appears to be a normal day. You see other people appear to be enjoying today, just like any other day, but you’re feeling a little off of your game?

Well, it happens to the best of us.

Thank God, we’ve been given all the tools necessary to get ourselves out of this slump. All we have to do is to use our head (for, “something more than a hat rack,” my grandfather used to say). You can adjust the focus of your thoughts, which have obviously veered off course. You’re probably thinking about things that are not putting you in a joyful state of mind. Chances are you’re thinking of someone less fortunate, something you might be hesitant or worried about, or any number of things that would affect your otherwise brilliant state of mind.

If you allow yourself to be distracted by negative thoughts, the frequency of your vibration begins to sink. This can dramatically affect your mood and perception of life all around you. Left unattended, your declining vibration could cause the loss of your enthusiasm, even activities which may have brought you joy to lack their sheen, and possibly lead to depression.

Staying in this trend of lowering your vibration can also affect the physical world around you, as you are at sorts with the more positive energies around you and you are attracting more negative energy flows and awkward circumstances.

It is so amazing that just by tweaking our thoughts, even the slightest bit, the whole world around us begins to change. What an incredible gift, the awesome power which has been bestowed upon us to change the world, even the whole universe, just with the energy of our thoughts.

A bit of positive physical activity can also help to get that stagnant blood moving and anything to engage your heart to take notice will help lift your mood and raise your vibration. You could try taking a brisk walk or a dip in the pool. Maybe just getting out in nature or feeling the grass beneath your feet and between your toes will do it; or you might try listening to your favorite music as you watch the sun go down. The whole idea , here, is to disconnect your thoughts from what is bringing you down and finding that peaceful place in your heart and mind to dwell in for a while.

Memories can be tricky to manage. If you think back to the bad times, your vibration can quickly sink to match where you were in that moment in your past. On the other hand, remembering an good memory can also take you back to the higher vibration you were in at this moment in your past. So, you could think about the good times with a special friend, happy times you spent with friends and family when you were younger. You could also remember those instances in the past, when you felt so blessed or your heart overflowed with gratitude.

After you’ve spent some precious moments reliving the best moments in your life, when you return to look at the day that you were having, the circumstances or challenges you were facing, it doesn’t look so bad; and now you’re on your way to getting your vibe back.

Keep a handle on how your feeling and check in with your inner self, your heart, and see where you are. Be aware and ready to recognize when you’re starting to feel your vibration slip downward. It can be such a slow and gentle decline that you might not notice it until you’re feeling bummed out. But if you’re looking for it, you can spot it early and cut it off at the path.

We all face challenges that can throw us for a loop, but it is best not to spend too much time fretting over things which are beyond your control. Just as accidents can leave a scar on your body, life can have its way with you and leave an emotional scar inside, that no one can see, but you can feel it. Just like any other wound, time does heal, though the rate of healing cannot be predicted. Surely, though, the more you focus on what is making you not feel good, the longer it will take for you to recover.

If you must be reviewing the incident or issues that are making you feel blue, try looking for the blessing, the lesson, or the hidden treasure in it. All adversity has something amazingly meaningful tucked in side, but you have to be sleuthfully adept at finding the hidden treasure. One thing’s for certain, if you seek it, you will find it. Be looking for the positive aspect and it will be revealed to you.

Often an unexpected circumstance or event can give you skills or insights that will be of great importance in an event that lies ahead of you, or maybe you’re becoming more aware of what to avoid, so that you don’t have to face another situation, like this one in the future.

When you’re feeling blue, this is not the time to take on new opportunities, sign contracts, or promise to do something that you might regret later. First get back into your groove by raising your vibration and are able to maintain it for a while, before taking on any important projects. Feeling blue can cloud your otherwise better judgment.

You might want to enlist the aid of a friend, confidant, coach or counselor to act as a sounding board. By telling your story to someone else who will not judge you for your sensitive thoughts, you can relieve some of the pressure and thereby raise your vibration. You can also achieve a higher vibration more quickly and easily by sharing your good time memories with your friend(s) or confident, because if they are enthusiastically joining in on your joy, your good vibrations will be magnified exponentially.

I know when I get down and lonely, I find that focusing on God, and all the blessings he has given me, the incredible life and love for my children and grandchildren, maybe pluck a little on my guitar and it’s not long when I can find myself with vibes fully restored on the mountain top, ready to tackle just about anything.