Tag: health

Strategies for SAD

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SAD. I haz it. Well, I have had it, anyway. After a few decades of dreadful winters in Philly, Ohio, and Boston, I lived in Arizona for 10 years, and not by accident. Longer days and plenty of sunshine are good for me. So my recent relocation to Portland, OR, was a little scary. I love the city, but in winter, the sun isn’t up until 7:30, and it’s pretty well dark around 5. When it is daytime, it’s often pretty gray. I’m not dealing with any active symptoms now, but I know I have this tendency. Wellness isn’t something you can put off until you are unwell. What do I need to keep myself healthy, knowing that darkness and indoors are my arch nemeses? 

  • Science says it’s pretty likely that light therapy is beneficial. I got this for Christmas (thanks Amy!!) and I use it for 20 minutes every morning, while it’s still dark outside (dude, until like 7:30). I drink coffee, do my brief journaling, plan my goals and schedule for the day, and do any other lingering desk chores while I sit by the light.
  • I get outside. The light still works (remember when your mom said you can still get a sunburn when it’s cloudy?), but so does fresh air and moving your body. Sometimes it’s as simple as having the right gear to make the outdoors friendlier. Remember, there’s no such thing as bad weather— only insufficient gear. (See my previous post about running).
  • I’m keeping up good relationships with my family and friends in San Diego and Tucson. Mid-winter escape route! People aren’t like solar cells, but, well, experience suggests that a good break somewhere sunny can carry me through.
  • I remind myself to go out— both for exercise and for social time. Does it always sound great? No. Is it usually great? Yes. 
  • I eat well. Of course it’s tempting to face-plant into a bowl of mac and cheese when it’s dark, damp and cold. I’m not above it. But if most of my plate is vegetables, I feel better. And if I feel better, I’m better at doing the rest of the stuff on this list.

What else helps you sun-lovers out there with a long winter?

E.N.E.R.G.Y., 7 ways

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Last night was both the winter solstice— the darkest night of the year— and a magnificent full moon. As if the sky wanted to remind us that the light returns, starting now!

Lots of folks, myself included, find it hard to keep our energy levels up at this time of year. Exactly when there seem to be extra demands on us. Funny how that goes, isn’t it? If we just accept the defaults, we’ll probably crash at some point (who hasn’t had a December meltdown?). So what can we do? How can we turn this strain into a teachable moment for ourselves?

Stress can point out to us exactly where the inflection points are.  Then it’s up to us to pay attention.

So, ENERGY: each night, experience rest, gratitude, and yoga? even night-owl extroverts require gentle years? eggplants! nectarines! endive! radishes! ginger! yams!

OR. . .

Here’s some low-hanging fruit— things that are easy to blow off in the moment, but that add up to exhaustion:

  1. Go to bed! It’s OK to lean into the hibernation instinct a little bit. When you have a lot to do, don’t knock sleep off the back. Set an alarm for bedtime, use the function on your iphone, and stick to it. If you don’t have a true reason to be up too late, don’t be. I don’t mean skip out on being present for important events, but I do mean maybe turn off the Hallmark channel and get some quality pillow time. (I’ve given the sleep rundown before, but I’ll give you the short version again: make your room cool and your bed warm, no screens in bed, make it dark and unplug stuff with little glowing lights, use do not disturb mode on your phone).
  2. Eat your veggies. Of course there’s lots to indulge in around the holidays, and I’d never tell you not to do so. Just don’t crowd out all the nutrition your body needs to function. Remember to eat green stuff every day. If you know you’re going to a party, maybe start your day with a smoothie or have a big salad for lunch. Order a side salad. Bring a veggie dish to the potluck. Whatever works.
  3. Pay attention to energy vampires— sugar and alcohol. It would be easy to drink wine and eat dessert every single day between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. This will probably make your energy levels tank. Both will disrupt your sleep, in addition to taxing your system, dehydrating you, and giving you that fuzziness (you know). So just pay attention. You could think about skipping either or both few days. While we often think there’s social pressure to indulge, the fact is, most people don’t really care what you do or don’t eat and drink. You can say no thanks. You can have a seltzer with lime or a kombucha or an apple cider at a party. You can say those look delicious but you’re totally full and would love one for later. If you do take a day off, note how you feel in the morning. 
  4. Get some sunlight. It’s in short supply in December, so get creative. If before and after work are dark try midday (a walk, at least?). . Go out in nature on the weekends. If you live somewhere dark, maybe light therapy lamp is for you. Using a bright light (look for “10,000 lux)  for 30 minutes per day has been shown to combat depression. 
  5. Relatedly, get some exercise. Maybe you can organize a family hike? Or run a 5k? If you’re a gym person, carve out the time. Even if it’s less time than you’d like, make time.  This will feel easier if you do 1, 2, and 3. And everyone feels better after a sweat. Promise. 
  6. Don’t burn yourself out. You don’t have to say yes to everything and everyone. You can put in an appearance and go on to the next event. It’s OK if that event is a date with a good book and your dog.  
  7. Finally, don’t lean too heavily on artificial sources of energy to pull you through. I love coffee, I really do, but it doesn’t replace the things I suggested above. If you’re too tired, maybe you should listen, honor that, and cool your jets.

Which one of these fall off first for you? Can put it back?

Basic Human Maintenance 101

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I got an email about classes at my local REI the other day (desert hiking with your dog? yes please!), and among the offerings was bike maintenance. This got me thinking about something I read not long ago:

Kelly Starrett says all human beings should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves. He’s right! I prefer this way of thinking about it to the ubiquitous “self care”— not that that’s wrong, but it’s been sort of distorted to mean, like, taking bubble baths when you’re stressed out. For me, maintenance is more about getting the basics under control day-to-day.

Dr. Starrett was talking about the tissues of the body. Spend time every day finding the areas that need attention— spots that are a little tight, a little tender, not quite as supple as you’d like—  and work on them for 10 or 15 minutes. Do this daily, and you can prevent a lot of major problems in your musculoskeletal system. This just makes sense! Little things are easy to fix. Little things that you don’t fix turn into big things.

What else can you do as maintenance on your human self? What little things can you do every day to head off major life fails?

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