Dealing with Feelings: The Winter Blues

We’ve all felt it to one degree or another. The letdown that the end of the holiday season can bring with it. What was months of preparation for joyous celebrations, family times, and anticipated events is now all gone, leaving in it’s place a dreary January that is as grey as it is anticlimactic. You seem tired, sad, and yet, you don’t know why.

You’re not alone. Science has actually given a name to this ailment: Seasonal Affective Disorder or, appropriately enough, SAD, is estimated to affect as much as 9.7% of the population in one way or another. It can be as simple as a feeling of disappointment in some, and as severe as definitive depression for others.

So, what can we do to combat these symptoms if we see them in our own life? There are things as simple as the common sense approach – filling your days with positive, encouraging time-fillers that keep your mind focused and leave little room for more damaging emotions – and as complex as a more spiritual approach – beginning each day with prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit to take over and fill you before your flesh has a chance to take over.

Simple or complex, the fact is that there is a way to overcome this distressing emotional hindrance. There is no need to feel alone or isolated in this struggle, because, chances are, someone you’d least expect is facing the exact same thing. Start a conversation with a trusted friend or family member. By bringing these thoughts into another’s reality, you’ll see them start to lose their intimidation factor.

Start the path toward healing from SAD today by telling someone what you’re going through. It only takes one step to begin experiencing a new freedom, so don’t wait!