Skip to main content

Seasonal Affective Disorder Summer Upswing

www.thenorthernlight.org



I’m not sure what to do with myself. Things are going well.

Now that the seasons have changed, I’m sleeping better, I have more energy, and I’m getting shit done.  It feels so good to be out of the slump that zapped my energy, made me want to sleep all day and stole all my motivation.

#AbsForApril coincided nicely, helping provide motivation to get to the gym.  Of course, working out – in turn- provides the endorphins to keep me up and running and it turns into an awesome cycle of good moods.

At the start of May, I took a week off work and the gym and reset myself, getting rid of to-do lists and goals and obligations. I watched TV mostly, snuggled with Scout-the-Dog and got caught up on being lazy.  Unlike my usual self, after my vacation, I hit the gym running and am still going strong showing up for class regularly without my husband having to kick me out of bed.

It’s amazing how a simple change in the weather can bring about such a huge change in my outlook and attitude. I wish I had known more about this years ago- I can’t even imagine the coping mechanisms I would have developed by now.

I’m taking advantage of my “up” time and doing some research into what I can do to help myself going into the “down” time next year. Right now, I’m doing this the DIY way, but I am open to seeking professional help if I need it.

Depression is a weird thing, socially we are speaking more openly about it, but we still have an image of what depression looks like.  Depression is someone laying in bed in a dark room, probably crying, unable to get up and ‘just do it.’ Depression is angry outburst and mood swings.  For some people, that is how their depression manifests itself. That is their reality.

As someone whose depression manifests in more mild-appearing ways, it's hard to feel like I have a right to talk about it and use the word to describe what I’m working with. I struggle with not throwing in qualifying words to downplay what its like to…. I don’t know…. Defer? To people whose depression symptoms are more disruptive to their everyday life.

The truth is, my depression isn’t nearly as disruptive as some people’s.  I have friends whose symptoms present much more visibly than mine.  But just because you can’t see an illness doesn’t mean it's not there.  Just because someone has it worse, doesn’t mean that you can’t acknowledge what I’m working with.

And, frankly, the high I’m flying on right now is a symptom of my depression. I’m working with it and trying to channel my energy and positivity in a good direction.  I have the energy to get my workouts in- which can help. I have the weather to get out into the sun- which can help. And I have an entire bookstore at my disposal to get my research going.

Hopefully, by the time the fall and winter months move into Texas, I’ll have some shiny new coping mechanisms to help me.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So, a Fat Nerd steps onto a scale...

I done did it, y'all. I got my scale out this morning. I can't say that I'm surprised, but I can say that I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Two hundred and freaking forty six pounds. It was a bit of a gut punch. I'm not happy. I know that I have lost weight since our move. I can see it in the mirror. I can tell by the way my clothes fit. But, as it stands this morning I have an official number. 246 Gross. Have I been heavier? Yes. Earlier this year. Have I (as an adult) been lighter? Yes... also earlier this year. Was I heavier when I got my ass in gear a few months ago? Yes. Can I do better? Also, yes. Am I going to be better? HELL YES!!! It's easy to pick a start date that is "later." You screw up on your new diet on Wednesday and decide to start over on Monday, or the first of the month, or the first of the year. Well, guess what? The first of the year is tomorrow. I'm not giving myself "one last night...
4 comments
Read more

How Do I Get Past Me?

I feel like this is a confession. I, allegedly, started this blog to share a journey to physical fitness and overall health. So far, that’s been a total fair. In 2018. I have a goal of losing 50 pounds. So far, I’ve lost 1. In six months, ONE POUND. That’s no even really losing, that’s maintaining. A while ago I’d be sitting here waxing poetic about how maintaining, is still a victory because it’s not a gain. I’d be making excuses to try to stay positive. I’d do what I could to stay up beat about all this. Part of me still wants to. I haven’t failed I just haven’t succeeded, either. Stay positive. Be positive. No negative. Don’t be a downer…. I can’t keep doing that. At least not right now. The last few months I’ve been putting myself on the backburner. With house-hunting, -buying- and -moving I’ve allowed myself to say, “now’s not a good time” and “we’re too busy” and “other things are more important.” I know I’m not alone in constantly putting everything else...
Post a Comment
Read more

NSV: Non Scale Victory

One of the terms that comes up over and over again in the From Fat to Finish Line Facebook group is "NSV" or Non Scale Victory. I hadn't really taken this side of the journey into consideration until I starting seeing other people's victories. When working on weight-loss and health it is so easy to just look at the scale as the only tool of measurement. When I confessed my weight to the group at the New Year one of the first comments I got was to only weigh once a month and not focus solely on the number as there is so much more to take into consideration. Yes, we celebrate everyone's weight loss numbers but there is also just as much support and excitement for the NSVs in the group. Yesterday I posted that it was my fourth day with no cream or sugar in my coffee. Over 120 people as of this writing have showed their support for my achievement. From a huge group of people who have either been there, done that, or are struggling themselves, or just starting...
Post a Comment
Read more