Comment by psychomom on January 8, 2008 at 7:40am

Winter Blues (or lack of sunshine) always gets me but I'm actually feeling better now that the holidays are over. Maybe I had the Holiday Blues or being home allowed for more sunshine. Hang in there and do something nice for yourself or others.

Comment by nmmtnmama on January 11, 2008 at 12:06pm

January and February always bring me down. Growing up in sunny California we spent the warm winters frolicking in the sunshine. When I lived in the Midwest, I didn't make the connection between my blues and the long cold winters, but when I moved back to California it helped my winter moods considerably. Living in the mountains here is a dream come true, but when the cold wind howls and snow becomes ice, I find myself mostly confined to the house in my off hours and my mood becomes depressed.

To cope, I try to get some sunshine when I'm in town or out of the area. Earlier this week I had business near UNM, so took time for a walk around campus. It was still cold, but the sun and exercise were helpful.

As, Psychomom suggests, doing something nice for others also lifts my spirits, and helps remind me that, despite my blues, I am very fortunate to be safe, warm and loved. I think I get more out of Random Acts of Kindness (http://www.actsofkindness.org/) than the receiver does.

Now that you can get them most anywhere, I would like to try those full-spectrurm lights that are supposed to help alleviate the symptoms of S.A.D. The problem is that I can't figure out where I could put it that I would be able use it enough to make a difference.

A few more months and we can all go outside and refresh ourselves. The trick for me is to keep busy, knowing that if I just keeping plugging along I'll wake up one morning to glorious warm blue skies and new plants popping out of the ground.

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