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In less than a month, it will be that not-so-magic time, once again, when we are forced to set our clocks back an hour to keep up with the lunacy that is Daylight Savings Time. Sure, you’ll gain an hour of sleep on that one Sunday, but the rest of it is sure to be a living Hell. It’s not just that we must alter our internal clocks and enter a world where the sun retires before we get off work that makes the coming of winter such a dreaded affair. It’s all of the grey-covered skies that seem to sink in and threaten to never let us witness daylight again.
Soon, most parts of the United States will experience the death of brighter days in a way that is not dissimilar to if the big bomb went off and left us all to fight for survival amid a nuclear storm. So it makes all the sense in the world that we need to condition ourselves for shorter days, constant feelings of doom and gloom and an overwhelming sense of despair.
We’re going to need to take some serious action to keep from being constantly sad during the winter months. And while you might be the type of person with a game plan for defeating the horrors of seasonal depression disorder, some of you are not at all prepared for the darkness up ahead. But never fear. There are a few steps a person can take in the next few weeks that can help stave off insanity and emerge from the cold, dreary winter conditions unscathed.
Get Yourself Some Blackout Curtains
If there is one thing I’ve learned from all my years enduring the changing of the seasons, especially the dreadful transition from fall to winter, is that the more grey that gets into my home and workspace the greater the chances that I will be obliterated by the down. But I eventually learned that there were products for the home out there that could help shield me from this misery. Blackout curtains for the windows is a solid investment for those suffering from seasonal depression. They give a person more control of the type of light that gets into their spaces and prevents them from always being reminded about how disgusting it really is outside.
Get Yourself On A Light Therapy Regimen
Medical experts say that seasonal depression is brought on by a fluctuation of hormones that are triggered by sunlight. These bastards have a significant effect on the way we rest and they even control our mood. So if mother nature is going to inflict her wrath on us by leaving us inside a dome of grey for months on end, we might need to get our hands on some alternative lighting to keep from going off the edge. Light therapy has been known to help some people through bouts of seasonal depression. A 10,000-lux lightbox for 20-30 minutes per day is said to be relatively effective at helping those affected by this condition. But don’t wait until seasonal depression has you curled up in the fetal position and going all emo to start light therapy. It is recommended that a person begin these sessions in late autumn and remain consistent with them until the end of winter.
Get Outside When The Sun Decides To Shine
Although it might not happen often, the sun will occasionally make an appearance during the winter months. And since natural light is key to snuffing out seasonal depression, medical experts urge people to go outside for at least 30-minutes a day when that light is available. Yes, even when it is colder than a witches tit. It might be to your advantage, however, to get outdoors only when there is peek sunlight. So taking an afternoon stroll down to the liquor store rather than driving is a reliable method for absorbing those rays to keep you sane. Of course, it goes without saying that these are also the days when you will want to open up those blackout curtains and let the sun light in.
Get Some Exercise And Stop Eating Like A Teenager
Although it can be a gut instinct to gravitate toward greasy, comfort food when we get depressed, one of the best ways to avoid entering a winter slump is to take better care of ourselves. Research shows that people who get regular exercise and maintain diets high in fruit, vegetables and healthy proteins are less likely to suffer from seasonal depression. Now, this doesn’t mean that gym rats are any less prone to this condition than the rest of us. We’re also not trying to tell you that you shouldn’t eat whatever the hell you want when the seasonal blues get you down. Just try to balance it out to where you are not destroying yourself from every angle. Because chances are you are going to survive the winter, only to emerge a fat ass in desperate need of a diet. You’ll have to bust your ass 10 times as hard to get into shape for Summer.
Get Online And Book A Trip
There is only so much cold, grey and depression that a guy can stand before he completely loses his shit. At some point, it might be necessary for the betterment of a person’s well-being to take a vacation somewhere where the weather is warm and the sun always shines. But don’t take such a bold leap right out of the gate. Going to Hawaii in October is not going to help satisfy the throes of seasonal depression. You are going to want to give yourself plenty of time to grow sickened to death by the thought of one more goddamned gloomy day before getting the heck out of dodge in pursuit of happier times. It is for that reason that a mid-late winter vacation might be all a person needs to hit the reset button and get them through the rest of the season.
There is also something to be said for keeping all of your streaming services paid up, and making sure to have the apps for your favorite food, alcohol and marijuana delivery services downloaded and ready to go. Because when seasonal depression kicks in, the last thing a person wants to do is venture out into the shit and mingle with a mentally stable society. Just shut the curtains, push a few buttons and everything you need to survive the grey season will show up at your doorstep eventually. You can venture outside once more when mother nature stops acting like an asshole.
See you guys in April!
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Mike Adams is a freelance writer for High Times, Cannabis Now, and Forbes. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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