January, 2021

Cold

Anyone who knows me will take you, I am not a fan of winter. Seasonal depression is a reality and it’s one I face. I wish life was not so hard in the winter but it is what it is. My mood starts to be affected in January. The cold keeps me inside and the lack of exercise takes a toll. Everything is affected by the cold.

I’ve been in a relationship with my best friend for four years now and like clockwork our annual big fight is in winter. It occurs somewhere in between January and April because the combination of lack of sun, warmth, and exercise wears me down. By the time we have our big annual fight, I am so exhausted and done.

With all this in mind, what I am grateful for this winter is our plan to move to a sunny state next year. When we made a plan of where we want to spend our working and child raring years, we prioritized moving to sunny warm states. So, it is no small consolation that this may be the last year the cold of winter drags me so low.

Blue

Depression meds are commonly used in America and depression, ADHD and Anxiety are the most common mental illnesses these days. In our household, we check all three boxes. It never occurred to me that meds may help my experience during winter. But, this year Zoloft and Light Therapy have helped greatly. Life is manageable and molehills don’t always seem like mountains.

The major drawback of winter is exhaustion which only a steady stream of black tea, coffee, and caffeine pills have counteracted. My hope is when we are living in TX or FL, winter won’t be so blue.

Grey

I commute an hour to work each way every day. My law firm is only so open to remote work because they are pretty old school in many ways. That means driving to work during dark grey days feels like fighting sleep for two hours every day. At home and work, HappyLights do the trick. But, the grey skies are a problem I haven’t fully dealt with yet.

Like most people, I don’t like admitting let alone talking about my struggles. But, the exhaustion brought on by grey skies all winter long is not an issue I have solved yet. But, I want to find a solution.

Hot Tea

The best part of winter is the constant IV drip of hot tea. I have about 12-13 cups of tea a day. I drink tea to wake up, enjoy meals, relax, and wind down for bed. Tea is simply the best.

So, despite the unfortunate blues I have in winter, it is my primary tea time.

I love tea! And watching Next Gen Star Trek with an earl-grey-hot is just too fun!