Sunless Days Mean January Struggles

In the Northern Hemisphere we’ve gained about 1 minute per day of sunlight since the winter solstice, the official start of winter, on Dec. 21.

Have you noticed?

I haven’t. Other than a couple of afternoons when it still seemed to be a bit lighter when I left work, January has been almost a continual sheet of gray with occasional breaks of sunshine. Today it’s raining and gray. Gray and more gray.

I have to confess I’m been struggling with January. The carb cravings have been high and I’ve given into the urge for pasta-only dinners several times. It’s just so easy to throw the tortellini in the water and go check email when I get home. Or a small pizza. Or some chocolate at work. Then the gray cloud around my head just settles down lower.

I have all these great ideas but it’s harder to organize them and take action.

Damn. I have the winter blues

All that tells me that I need more light therapy and I need more protein.

I explained to someone that dealing with SAD in winter is like walking a narrow balance beam.

If I don’t get my light therapy every day at the same time I can fall off. If I don’t eat enough protein and too many carbs instead, I’m over the side. If I stray from a regular sleep schedule I slip off. In the summer, I can do whatever I want, when I want and I feel no effect – it’s like dancing on a sparkling beach.

So know that winter isn’t always easy for me, either. It isn’t always easy to do what I know works.

One of my SAD solutions

Which is why I’ve created the free email course, Secrets of Beating the Winter Blues. There are natural holistic ways to beat SAD that really work. It took me 10 years to figure out what I can share with you in 10 email lessons.

You’ll get all the details on what’s included in Secrets of Beating the Winter Blues if you click on this page, along with a signup form at the bottom of the page. It’s free and it helps.

You can smile through winter.

Thanks for coming back! Are you receiving my email course "Secrets of Beating the Winter Blues" yet? It's a concise guide to creating your personal take-back-winter plan. Get it here and you'll also be on the advance list for this fall's workbooks and classes.

Tagged as: carb cravings, gray days, lack of sunshine, Light Therapy, LightBox, protein, sunlight, winter, winter blues, winter depression