S.A.D

Having grown up in Northern California, and having spent the last couple of weeks on the West Coast, I’m finding the cold snap this week—with the dark, gray skies accompanied by the incessant bitter cold— to be particularly grim. I just asked myself this morning:  ”Why did I want to live here again?” I quickly thought about how I do love so many things about New England. I am as still enchanted by the culture, the history, and authenticity of the people as I was as a new student over 10 years ago. I loved autumn then (and still do), but my first winter was a rude awakening.

To Thine Own Self Be True

I’m a social introvert. That may seem like an oxymoron, but it’s not. I love alone time, I love people time, and I need both.  Introversion is not synonymous with timidity or keeping to oneself, as popular culture often views it. Rather, people who are introverted tend to turn inward and focus on internal thoughts and feelings to re-energize and come back to their center.  Their extroverted counterparts, on the other hand, tend to seek out external stimulation to re-energize and engage.  Case in point: the next time you are at a holiday party or work event, take note of the people who actively mingle versus the small groups of two or three people chatting in a quiet corner of the room.  Extroverts and introverts, respectively!

Braving the Storm of Seasonal Affective Disorder

We’ve rounded the corner– the shortest day of the year is behind us.  Slowly but surely, more and more light will now begin to roll in to our days and nights.

For some, this is predictable good news.  Longer hours of light and sunshine mean more hours to be outside and a boost in energy overall.  The course has changed to downhill, and perhaps your wheels are turning a bit more easily now.  The darkest, longest days are over and the hardest part may feel like it is behind you. 

Appreciation and Tantrums

As the presents under the Christmas tree piles up, and yet more are to come since grandma and grandpa have not yet arrived with their armful of gifts; feeling overwhelmed is common. Even if this is all very exciting and joyful, we forget that it is still an overwhelming emotion and we can easily be tipped over to feeling anxious. This theory applies to all of us, of all ages. Therefore, wouldn’t it be important to keep an even keel anticipation for all?

Hope for the Holidays?

For many of us, the holidays are characterized by feelings of joy and hope. Shared meals with family and friends, Christmas gatherings with colleagues, gift giving, and religious rituals that recall a spiritual promise of anticipation and new life mark the holiday season.  For others, however, finding happiness and hope during the holidays is more challenging.  Family discord, loneliness, and financial hardship make us feel more ‘blue’ than joyful, more despairing than hopeful.