It’s end of the first workweek after daylight savings time ended here in the U.S., and if you’re anything like me, you spent this week struggling to mentally recalibrate to the sun being down before you finish working.
In 2018, I relocated from Los Angeles to Seattle. Having gone to college in Boston, I assumed that Seattle winter would be similar – only warmer, which would make it easier. That first year, I welcomed the beautiful changing leaves and variance in weather in a way that only someone who recently experienced a four year timewarp caused by endless days of seventy and sunshine can appreciate. Everything was wonderful, until November when all of a sudden, it was not.
November in the pacific northwest (and many other places, I can only assume) kicks off what I refer to as “the big dark”: daylight savings is officially over, and if you live anywhere near my neck of the woods, today you’ll find the sun setting around 4:45 / 5 pm. You’ll look around and wonder what time it even is, when you can crawl into your bed and sleep through the winter.
That first winter in Seattle, I got suckerpunched. I was freelancing, interviewing for a new job, and training our puppy. I had no routine, I had moved away from most (all) of my friends, and it was the rainiest year in something like 100 years. I was bored. Apathetic. No appetite. Deeply, deeply, sad. It was debilitating, and it rattled me. I found a therapist. I did so much yoga. Mark and I had serious conversations about how this was going to be my experience every year, we could not make Seattle our long term home - already a devastating prospect to the both of us.
I rolled into the next few winters as a woman on a mission. I had all the skills and tools I had learned in therapy, I had routine. I had a happy light. I had hobbies, I had friends. When COVID hit and undid all my routines, I broke them down, adjusted and re-built them to accommodate working from home, and all the strange uncertainty and social isolation. And last year, I jumped headfirst into figuring out how to manage the big dark as a new parent.
We can’t pretend that I solved my seasonal mood and energy issues with sheer force of will - I certainly still resist the urge to hunker down and hibernate on a regular basis. But, I have spent the last four years on a personal mission to learn about SAD, what causes it, what you can do to manage it, and how to make it sustainable - and I'm so happy to share it with you today!
A few things you can expect:
Background on seasonal affective disorder: what it is, and what causes it.
How SAD impacts mental health, and proven (and cited!) strategies for managing, including a focus on:
Routine & Sleep
Movement
Social Connection
Nutrition
Your most common challenges and questions, (and my personalized practical, tactical tips)
Let’s take care of ourselves, and each other, in 2024. I’d love it if you joined me.
Xx
Ps. once again, this is a long one, so you may need to expand in order to read in email, or hop on over to substack in your desktop browser for the full screen experience.
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