Fighting the Warm Weather Blues

Caught by the Calendar

Most of the articles you read on Seasonal Affective Disorder confidently state that SAD disappears with the onset of spring. And what if it doesn’t?

It is now mid June in Michigan and I’m not sure I can say I’ve shaken off all of the spring depression I had this season.

I lost two cloudy, rainy weeks in May where I was unable to do much of anything. I ignored the computer other than to occasionally check email. I couldn’t find the focus to write or comment on other blogs. Projects and spring clean-up chores loomed too large to handle. I was mystified.

Curse of the Silent Shoulds

Finally, I realized I wasn’t done with spring depression and I had gotten suckered into “calendar thinking,” as John Sherry called it in a comment on my first post on spring depression. You can recognize calendar thinking when you hear yourself thinking or saying, “I should feel good because the daffodils and magnolia are blooming and it’s warm and beautiful outside. I should go on a bike ride. I should…”

Yes, it’s warm and the world is green again. And it’s also overcast, cloudy and rainy, similar to autumn.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I completely forgot to use my light box. Because I was awakening easily with the early morning sunrise, I assumed I no longer needed light therapy. Wrong. As I write this, it’s another overcast day here, threatening rain, and I have my Litebook shining into my eyes.

Jumpstart and Shift Attention

I eventually pulled myself out of my two-week low point by a couple of fortunate synchronicities.

Weeks earlier, I had suggested to my sister in Florida that we try a raw food cleansing diet together, thinking my support would help her stick to it. As it turned out, being forced to shift out of my normal routine was instrumental in helping break the depression pattern, not to mention eating lightly with energy-boosting foods.

While still on the cleansing diet I began preparing for a two-week visit to western North Carolina. I had a purpose, a plan and a deadline, all great motivators when you’re not feeling energetic enough to do much of anything. Not only did I have to pack for myself, I had to make sure everything was set up in my home  so my neighbors could take care of my cats while I was gone.

Discovering the prevalence of spring depression was an eye-opener for me. Because I’m listening more closely to others’ experiences I’m developing a greater awareness of my own reactions during the warm seasons. I have to say I’m surprised.

Fortunate Lessons

So what are the lessons I learned from the last six weeks when I found myself knocked off base and how can you use them?

Ignore the calendar

Just because it’s March, or April, or May, or June (or  September, October,  November or December in the Southern Hemisphere) doesn’t mean you are getting adequate light stimulation to reset your circadian rhythm with the season.  Don’t look out the window and let it tell you how you should feel.

Listen to your body and your moods

If you’re getting up easily on sunny days, say a small prayer of gratitude. Pay attention when your energy drops on cloudy days and use your light box as soon as you can after awakening to give your system the early morning light trigger it requires. If your energy wanes in the afternoon, give yourself a short light therapy treatment at noon or during the afternoon and observe how your system reacts.

Create accountability

Find a way to jumpstart your energy and shift your attention that has built-in accountability. The cleansing diet with my sister was my trigger. It forced me to think about my everyday habits differently and monitor my reactions because we were checking in with each other every other day.

Consider joining a new exercise or yoga class. Or start walking with a friend. Or take a class on cooking with seasonal produce. Take tennis or swimming class. Join a cycling group. Do whatever appeals to you, and be sure to look for something that has a built-in accountability factor. Then show up and do it.

Breathe the warm air

Get outside as much as possible, even if it’s cloudy and rainy. I have garden and yard chores aplenty this time of year, but have struggled to find the energy to tackle the weeds and overgrown shrubs after a wet spring. I set small goals for myself (20-30 minutes), ignore my protesting brain as much as I can and then try to launch into action. It often works.

Be gentle with you

Don’t beat yourself up for feeling depressed and lethargic during the warm weather. You need that energy to refocus and reframe warm weather challenges.

Please share with us in the comments what you do to keep your energy high during cloudy and rainy warm days. How can you use these suggestions?

Tagged as: cloudy days, gray days, lack of sunshine, LightBox, SAD, seasonal affective disorder, shoulds, spring