Looking for the Happy

October begins a long, dark slide for me into seasonal depression.

I take two antidepressants. Those daylight simulator lights don’t really help.

It takes an incredible amount of mental energy to keep myself from letting it take me over.

If I can focus on positive upcoming events, like Halloween and Kaitlyn’s birthday and Thanksgiving and Nathan’s birthday and Christmas, keep myself busy with those, it is much better for me than staying in the house under a pile of blankets letting myself feel the melancholy.

I’m working on getting my professional life under control, and I’m looking for things that make me happy to keep me going through the long winter months. I’m just so grateful that I have this blog, this place to get my thoughts out and to let others know that if you are feeling the same way as me, you aren’t alone.

Let’s get through it together.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at 9:28 pm and is filed under Health, Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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11 Responses to “Looking for the Happy”

1. Mark Tait says:

   October 12, 2009 at 1:14 am

   I have been through these…i know how it feels…but its really good that u want to share your feelings..
2. Jenn says:

   October 12, 2009 at 7:44 am

   It’s so hard to stay positive when you hardly see the sun! Just keep in mind that if you need a break, you are not so far away from me… we can go get margaritas or something!
   • Elizabeth
     Twitter: Table4Five
     says:

     October 12, 2009 at 9:33 am

     I do find that a frosty strawberry daiquiri can perk me right up even in the winter! Thank you for that offer, wouldn’t it be fun to do a girl’s weekend, get some Christmas shopping done? I would love it!
3. Carry
   Twitter: TuvaBox
   says:

   October 12, 2009 at 9:13 am

   Winter is always getting me down, and the best remedy is thinking about Christmas:)and Christmas goodies.
4. love says:

   October 12, 2009 at 9:59 am

   If you need a brake just do something that you always wanted to do but did not have the guts. I did that with rollerblades and turned out i really learned to walk on them.
5. Clenna in NH says:

   October 12, 2009 at 12:19 pm

   I can relate to your depression – I too feel lost in the winter. I always hated the winter months and never understood why. Now I know it is the dark, depressing months. I dread them. It is so hard to try to be busy, keep interested in anything, and act like nothing is wrong. I can barely do that.
6. Janet Carpenter says:

   October 12, 2009 at 12:56 pm

   I don’t think people who haven’t experienced it, understand the hell of depression. Hugs….
7. Marie N says:

   October 12, 2009 at 1:06 pm

   I have found in the past that when I had a case of the blahs, making a short list of things for which I can be grateful has helped me. I keep the short list nearby so that I can add to it as things come to mind. Now this has to be a deliberate effort…not just a casual off the cuff list or done tongue in cheek. I dig deep for things that help me to remember that I’ve been in places in my life that could have gone terribly wrong and some small unexpected thing happened to change the tide of events. Or someone whom I least expected was of assistance. When a need was suddenly met and I was so surprised it made me happy…if only for a moment. Stringing together these little things always seems to lift my spirits. Its as if the list is a reminder that…this too shall pass. And there will be many tomorrows that will bring moments of happiness. In the end I find a life lived in gratitude is a life of contentment. It doesn’t have to be filled with over the top happiness…just a sense of being satisfied with one’s life. As if to say “I’m going to be ok.”
8. Steve says:

   October 12, 2009 at 1:12 pm

   Aw I get the same, or I used to. It’s getting better now, what I did was get a winter hobby – so I took up skiing. Now, instead of dreading the dark nights, I look forward to ski season.
9. Jean-Luc Picard says:

   October 12, 2009 at 2:27 pm

   The time of year is never bright and encouraging, but there are so many positive events in the US at this time.
10. Emma says:

    October 13, 2009 at 9:33 am

    This is where living at Northern latitudes can be a real problem. I remember recommending a friend in London to live in Scotland, but alas, she cited SAD as being a barrier to that. Anyone for Mexico?