Winter, particularly December, can be a rough season.
For us poor ink-stained wretches, it’s one of the busiest months of the year.
Then in my off hours, there’s the usual Christmas stuff – presents, decorating, baking and so on. And all the while, it’s getting darker and darker and darker outside.
By the time this column appears, it will be one week before the annual winter solstice, the annual nadir of daylight.
Guess what happens when you get too little sunlight, too much stress, and not enough sleep and exercise?
Yeah, it’s not great for overall mood.
Usually by around Dec. 20, I have the urge to rip down store speakers blaring Christmas songs and stomp them into pieces while yelling “Scrooge was right!”
Fortunately, there are things that can be done to fend off the winter blahs.
That list of bad stuff, a couple sentences back?
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Every winter, especially now, I need to tackle those issues.
• Daylight: Going for walks in the middle of the day becomes important. If you work in a windowless box, as I do, then the drive to work may be the only time of the day you actually get enough daylight. Get outside! Even if it’s just to walk around the block. I’m getting to know the local crows. I’ve named the big one Beauregard.
• Stress: This is a hard one to avoid. There are just more responsibilities at this time of the year, especially for those of us working right up to Christmas. Telling other people when you’re about to start climbing the walls, however, may help. What you shouldn’t do is bottle it all up and pretend you’re fine. (This is definitely do as I say, not as I do advice. I’m working on it, okay?)
• Sleep: Go to bed half an hour earlier. Put the phone down and read a book before you nod off. And take naps, on the weekends or, y’know, whenever you can.
(Note to self: How long would it take anyone to notice if I put up a hammock in the conference room?)
• Exercise: You know those perky people who get up at 5 a.m., rain or shine, year round, and go jogging? They’re relentlessly cheerful and positive? No one wants to admit that the jogging fanatics are right, but they are. Exercise is good for your mood and your mind as well as for the body.
This one is the big anti-winter-blues multiplier. More exercise helps you sleep more and can be done while getting outside, depending on your chosen form of fitness.
Finally, I advise that sometimes you should give in to your Grinch side. Admit that this time of year is stressful. Sometimes, it’s awful.
So go ahead. Scream into a pillow. Scowl and say “Bah, humbug!” to an apple-cheeked child. Call your MP and ask them to ban Mariah Carey music in public places. Put your most frightening Halloween decorations up instead of Christmas lights.
It’s not always about keeping the season. Sometimes, it’s about keeping the season at bay.