Let The Sun Shine In

October 4, 2011 by K.L.Richardson 2 Comments

Yes, there is no getting around it; even with its profusion of color fall does have its depressing days. You know the ones-damp, chill low hanging clouds that look like so much wet dryer lint, and no sun in sight.  It can get to even the most optimistic of persons. Pity those of us who have seasonal affective disorder or SAD. Cloudy, cold days in autumn can really put us in a funk.  If the weather stays around for more than a couple days it can really throw us for a loop.

In the past when this would happen to me all I could do is grit my teeth and get through it.  And heaven help anyone around me! I was the original Schleprock. One sunny day (these are always my creative days) I had a lightbulb moment, and I put together a kit for my gloom & doom days.  I realized that on sunny days I was drawn to certain sounds (upbeat music), smells (light and crisp-no musk or heavy florals) and tastes (usually light and crunchy).  Sunny days have more than their fair share of charm, so I decided that anything in my kit would only be used on my dark days.  And no matter how much a down day seemed to scream for vintage Bob Dylan, I wisely steered clear of him. I chose upbeat, fun music (chose what feels good for you) and saved one or two albums that I only played when I needed uplifting.  I also put in my kit lemon tea, the warmth and citrus a real boost, with the added fragrance element.  At Susan’s Natural World I found lime essential oil. Being very concentrated it goes a long way and the smell is bright and crisp.  It makes a nice additive to a warm bath or just applied to your pulse points.  A small notebook and brightly colored pen, used only for sad days, records my thoughts.  In the notebook I have a list of foods that are especially helpful to me, it includes radishes (a fave of mine, celery with ranch dip and lime, low cal, real fruit popsicles (yes even when its cold out).  Sometimes it also helps me to gain a bit of insight into these moods by journaling a bit. Lastly I put a couple pictures that are favorites of mine and always bring a smile to my heart.

The trick is to save these things for your worst days, the times that you don’t even want to get out of bed. As I said the other days will take care of themselves, so don’t squander your kit.  Once you start taking a pro-active stance with these moods it seems to make each one a bit easier to handle.  I am not sure if it’s because it is behavior modification or habit, all I know is that my kit has been a life saver to carry me through until the sun bursts out again.

Disclaimer: This is not meant as a diagnosis of any disorder. It is simply something that I found helps me get through the “blahs”.