Seasonal Mood Disorder

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Seasonal Mood Disorder Better Known (for me) as December

By: Donnell Ann Bell

Yesterday, I stared out my great room windows to be greeted with darkness—at five p.m. I was still standing upright, hadn’t made dinner yet, and was beginning to yawn.

 

Somehow, I created a nice chef salad dinner, finished my friend Author Barbara Nickless’s, The Drowning Game, which is excellent, by the way, and did my physical therapy exercises. After that, my husband and I played cards and watched a half hour of television.

I did all this because if I went to bed at seven p.m. I would be up at two a.m. So, I worked hard to make it till nine p.m. And despite my best efforts awoke at midnight.

According to Wikipedia, Seasonal Mood Disorder (paraphrasing) affects typically “normal” people with seasonal depression symptoms associated with the reduction and/or decrease in total daily sunlight.

The article also says the following symptoms accompany SAD.

  • A tendency to overeat
  • A tendency to sleep too much
  • A general feeling of malaise or sluggishness

I think it’s ironic that during the busiest time of year, e.g. holiday shopping, Christmas cards, newsletters, parties, travel, in addition to writing a book, my body is telling me to slow down.

I refuse to give in.  To combat SAD, I am:

  • Exercising during daylight hours
  • Stocking my pantry with limited snacking items
  • Standing while writing instead of sitting
  • And watching the clock.

Source: Pixabay Photo by Jonathan Stoklas

 

If I were smart, I’d give up caffeine, but, hey, I’m only human.

The winter solstice, e.g. the shortest day of the year, is December 21 or 22 and occurs when either of the Earth ‘s poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. (Again Source: Wikipedia).

It could be worse; I could be a bear.  Did you know bears hibernate from October, November until April—or when the snow melts?

 

I think there’s something to SAD. On December 26th, I feel better?  How about you? How’s your energy level during December?

 

 

 

 

Burning Your Zozobra

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While one half of our nation rejoices this week and the other half wonders what went wrong, here comes Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukah, when we’re all thrown together at friends’ parties and family reunions. Finding common ground where we can stand together may be difficult as we tiptoe around each other’s feelings after the election.

Four years ago, it also felt like our national unity had frayed, both physically (the pandemic) and culturally (we vs. them). Back then, I wrote a guest post for Jungle Red Writers about a new word I’d learned from an article in The Conversation. This week, our local newspaper reprinted the original essay.

The word is zozobra.

In Spanish, it means “anguish, anxiety, or gloom,” which many of us suffered from in those fear-ridden times.

https://burnzozobra.comI’ve recently heard that in Santa Fe, New Mexico there’s an annual Summer Festival in which they burn an ugly zozobra in effigy as an attempt to chase the gloom away.

And yet, barring a truly effective alternative to lighten our national funk, what better time is there than Thanksgiving to remind us of what’s truly meaningful in life? For me, that includes friends and family (regardless of political differences), the health that still sustains us, and a sense of purpose that keeps us engaged in the world.

Yes, bad things happen every day, and sometimes they happen to us.

But what if we try to minimize the complaining and instead, focus on the positive things we can do to make life better for ourselves and others.

It helps to practice gratitude for the small things that bring us joy.

I am grateful for family and friends, and for being accepted into a writing community where colleagues honor and respect one another, where we share our ups and downs in the wacky world of publishing. To my Stiletto sisters, and to Sisters in Crime and beyond, I would be bereft without your continued friendship and support.

And to our readers! Thank you for reading!

We’re all in this together, come what may. Tomorrow is World Kindness Day. Maybe we could start with that.

Or, if you’re not quite ready to let go of your anxiety, you could plan your very own Zozobra Festival and exorcise the beast.

What are you grateful for today?

Please tell us in the comment section below.

 

Gay Yellen is the author of the  award-winning Samantha Newman Mysteries, including The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News! 

Now available from your favorite bookseller. Readers and book clubs, please contact me at GayYellen.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Clicking Our Heels: Hobbies that De-Stress and Fill Our Wells

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Clicking Our Heels: Hobbies that De-Stress and Fill Our Wells

Have you ever felt super stressed? Blocked from doing anything? Do you have a hobby or other activity that de-stresses you and fill your well? Here’s what works for the different Stiletto Gang members.

Bethany Maines – My daughter and I had a standing date last summer for Fridays so that we could do art.  I took half days on Friday and we would pick a project and try it out.

Barbara J. Eikmeier – Hands down working in my sewing room. If I can sew for an hour, I can feel my stress level drop.

Saralyn Richard – Gardening, cooking, being out in nature.

Dru Ann Love – Quilting and reading and watching Sci-fi movies

T.K. Thorne – Tending my little pond and brushing my horses. Combing tangles out of their tails, in particular, calms me. I can’t explain why, but it is a semi-mindless process that gives me satisfaction, even when I know that the next day it will all be a mess again.

Debra H. Goldstein – Reading for pleasure or soaking in a hot tub with a gossipy magazine.

Lois Winston – Other than wine? Listening to Rhapsody in Blue while taking a long walk.

Lynn McPherson/Sydney Leigh – Walking the dog. Nothing beats it.

Gay Yellen – Reading is my #1 go-to when I need to relax or spark my writing brain. If I’m too stressed to read, I work the hardest crossword puzzles I can find. As I concentrate on something so completely mundane, it works to tune out the emotional noise.

Donnell Ann Bell – I am playing pickleball often these days and learned it is a perfect de-stresser.

Debra Sennefelder – I enjoy counted cross stitch.

Anita Carter (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey)- When I get stressed or need to think something through, I’ll clean my office or a closet and organize everything.

Mary Lee Ashford  (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – I wish I had some hobbies, but I don’t really have any unless you count reading. For me, refilling the creative well is a book on the beach, or a favorite coffee shop with a book and a latte. Sometimes wandering the library will do it or browsing a bookshop.

Has Spring Sprung for You?

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Exactly when is Spring supposed to begin? I looked it up, and here’s what I found:

The vernal equinox in 2024 arrived on March 19, but that date varies year to year. It hovers somewhere between the 19th and 21st of the month, and is marked at the moment the sun is directly facing Earth’s equator. This is also known as Astronomical Spring.

But, because science allows the date to vary, I’m thinking it’s okay if Spring starts for people like you and me whenever we are able to feel it.

We’ve enjoyed the new season around our home for a few weeks now. Gardens are in full bloom. A multitude of songbirds greet us with their cheery melodies every morning, just like the ones Samantha Newman hears when she visits Serenity Ranch.♥

Spring is also when our cherished bluebonnets and other dazzling wildflowers begin to blanket our empty fields and rolling hills.

This past weekend made Spring feel official for me, with opening of the annual Kite Festival that takes place in our favorite public park. There’s something wonderful about a day when people of all ages gather on vast green spaces to share a picnic and fly kites.

A live band played upbeat music while children ran around, testing how far they could roam free. They squealed with delight. You couldn’t help but smile at the joy of it.

Those icy winds are gone. Gentle breezes flow. We’re unencumbered by winter coats and jackets, scarves and gloves. The world is refreshed.

Hooray!

What is the first sign of Spring where you live? And, when was the last time you flew a kite?

Here’s wishing you a very HAPPY SPRING, full of sunshine, flowers, celebrations, and laughter!

 

Gay Yellen is the author of the award-winning Samantha Newman Mystery Series including: The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News!

Find her on Amazon, BookBub, Facebook, or contact her at GayYellen.com