We’ve just had the first Monday of 2019.  The house has been de-Christmased.  Things are back to whatever’s normal this time of year.

And for me, normal involves seasonal affective disorder (read what the Mayo clinic has to say about it here).  Basically, not getting enough sunshine during daylight hours tends to make me sadder.  Add that to my tendency toward depression and it can get pretty rough during the winter in Washington.

There was one November when I made the mistake of watching one of the Hunger Games movies and Les Miserables within a week’s time.  Bad idea.

There was another winter where I thought Wuthering Heights was a good idea.  It wasn’t.

And just the other day I stopped listening to an audiobook because of the negative feelings it was causing in me.  I’ll give it another try some other time–probably during the summer.  And I’ll borrow the print copy from the library this time instead of the audio version.

It used to be that I wouldn’t stop reading a book just because it was affecting me negatively.  I would keep on reading because I was not a quitter and I was going to finish that book!

And I didn’t really make the connection between what I read and watched and did with how I felt.  Not so much.  There were some things that were easy.  I don’t watch certain TV shows or movies because they gave me nightmares.  I had that figured out.

But those were just the scary movies or ones with too much blood and gore.

I think it was maybe 6 or 7 years ago when I realized that what I was reading was negatively impacting my depression.

Depression doesn’t need any more help as it is, so I have had to learn how to quit things.

I’ve also had to learn how to start things.

So I’ve learned to quit the things that affect my depression negatively and I’ve learned to start things that impact my depression positively.

I have a happy light for light therapy and I try to use it for a half hour every morning.  It puts off rays similar to the sun’s rays.  It makes up a little for not having as much sunshine during the winter time.

I take a Vitamin D supplement.  That was AFTER my doctor tested my levels and told me I needed to.  And it really helps, especially since I use it in conjunction with a bunch of other things to address my depression, seasonal and otherwise.

I try to focus on uplifting things, too.  Positively-focused TV shows and movies.  Uplifting music.  Books that don’t make me overly angry or sad.

So no Grey’s Anatomy, Les Miserables, Hunger Games, Wuthering Heights, angsty reality shows, thriller novels.

This does not mean that I avoid anything that makes me cry.  I’m pretty sure I cried when I listened to a song on my Spotify playlist this morning.  And something I read in a book the other day made me tear up.  The difference, though, is these tears were different.  These were good tears.

Had I watched Les Miserables at any other time of the year, it probably would haven’t negatively impacted me.  But since it was November and so close to the Hunger Games…well, that was just a bad idea.  I mean, I love the music!  And, well, Hugh Jackman singing.  (Les Miserables, not Hunger Games)

Really, it just comes down to knowing myself, knowing how things effect me, and making choices that help my mental and physical health.

Speaking of physical health, exercise is important, too.  As is finding some sunshine to bask in.

Also, knowing when to get out of the gray and find somewhere with sunshine is key to staying mentally sane and healthy through the long, gray days of winter.  Maybe that means flying somewhere tropical.  Maybe that means driving until you find some sunshine.  I remember driving up out of the valley to the mountain to get above the fog that had been plaguing the valley for two weeks.

Maybe all you can do right now is sit by your happy light and get in some light therapy.  Find out what helps you stay sane and do it…so long as it’s legal and ethical.