Spring is officially here. Hallelujah! I mentioned late last year that I was finding new ways to manage my winter blues. Now that winter is passed, it’s time for an after action report. Was I completely successful in eliminating the winter blues this year? Of course not. Mental health issues don’t work that way. Were my blues better than in years past? Absolutely. Were there setbacks? Again, absolutely. Let’s review:
Positives:
I started using a 10,000 lux therapy light on the first day of autumn even though my blues usually don’t start until much later in the season (some sufferers of SAD report feeling depressed as early as late summer). I think because I love autumn so much that the blues can’t get a hold on me. Even when the trees are denuded of leaves and daylight saving time has come to an end I generally feel fine, most likely because the joy of the holiday season is still ahead. But come January 2nd, it’s like a flip is switched in my head and the blues hit hard. I’ve always been like this. Even as a kid I found January and February to be hard on me. I used to think it was because Christmas was over and I had to go back to school after winter break (which to be honest these were pretty depressing situations), which did probably play a role. But I now realize this feeling has just been part of my lifelong battle with depression.
And sure enough, just like clockwork, when January 2nd rolled around I started to feel the blues trying to push through. However, thanks to the therapy light I noticed I felt more motivated to continue exercising. My workouts were noticeably energetic. I was much less mopey and more pleasant to be around. Between the therapy light and the exercise I felt better in January than I have in winters past.
Negatives:
February, on the other hand, was something of a shitshow. Shortly after Groundhog Day (the halfway point of winter), the blues pushed through hard. My workouts suffered as a result. My consistency became non-existent and I felt tired and no longer pushed myself as hard as I had. It didn’t help that this was one of the more dismal Februarys I can ever recall. One meteorologist reported that we only had 2 sunny days the whole month. That is very unusual for Colorado, and it sure didn’t help my outlook.
Looking back at this period, I am forced to ponder which was the cause and which was the effect of my deteriorating outlook. Did my increasing blues cause the degradation of my workouts, or was it because I was no longer consistently exercising that caused my blues to worsen? Good questions, and ones that I will need to address before next winter.
In my defense, I will state that at some point going to the gym just gets mind-numbingly boring. Consider: we hop into a machine that delivers us without exertion to a building full of other machines that simulate bicycling/running/x-country skiing. We change into a different set of clothes and climb onto one of these machines to pedal/run/ski our way to…nowhere. Even with the distraction of an IPod or the numerous TVs provided, this behavior has a Sisyphean feel to it.
Somewhat off topic, I came across this article on Bicycling Magazine’s website about how if you do spin classes you should consider actually riding a bicycle outside once in awhile. Gee, ya think? Using a bicycle for its intended purpose: going somewhere under your own power. What concept. Actually getting out in the fresh air with the sun on your face while passing through some natural scenery. Nah, it will never catch on. Best to sweat your ass off enclosed in a room lit by fluorescent lighting, surrounded by strangers while some monkey in the front of the room barks orders at you for an hour. Sounds great!
To sum up:
Was the effort to manage my winter blues worth it? Yes. I was in a much better place mentally in late December and well into January than I have been in recent years. The time, money and effort investing in therapy light and being more active was worth it.
Knowing what I know now, I am already planning ahead to next winter. I think I will increase the amount of time spent in front of the therapy light, especially as I get closer to February. I only did 25 minutes a day throughout the season, so next year increasing the time to 30 minutes or more per day might help
Took this photo just the other day. It’s a plant shoot pushing through the detritus of last year’s garden. A sure sign that spring is at long last finally here. (Click to enlarge)
I am also going to expand my exercise options to combat boredom. I’m going to invest in a good pair of walking shoes and endeavor to walk the doggies more during the winter than I did this year. No more excuses that it’s too cold or blustery. Gotta embrace the suck. I’m also thinking of swimming laps a couple of times a month at the local rec center. Not really a big fan of swimming (you can’t listen to your tunes in the water), but it will provide me with another option.
I’ll still use the gym, but actually getting physical activity outside on a regular basis I suspect will help a lot.
As far as my winter blues go, about a third of the way into the month of March that switch in my head shut off just about as fast as it switched on. In fact, I feel so much better mentally that I used the therapy for the last time today. I’ve packed it up and stored it away until next autumn.
Psychologically, I suspect it’s because there was obviously more daylight, especially after we went back on daylight saving time. I immediately felt better even though this year the skies have been unusually cloudy for the Front Range, and we got hit with that “snow bomb” that caused a blizzard in the middle of the month. Even with all that, mentally I could sense the difference.
The ten day weather forecast right now is showing sunnier days and warmer temperatures in the days ahead. So like that plant in the picture to the left, it is time to shed my dormancy and reach for the sun!
