Let there be Light!
A famous standard song is Autumn Leaves, lyrics by Frank Sinatra. The first lyrics go like this: The falling leaves/Drift by my window/The falling leaves/Of red and gold…
One day last week it seemed as if Fall had truly arrived. But so far, the temperature has not gotten cold enough to produce Fall colour. That day though, the temperature was lower and I glanced outside when I heard rain. Indeed, it was pouring, yet the sun was also shining and the sky was blue. Craziness in the weather department! All day the tune of Autumn Leaves floated through my consciousness, even though as of yet no falling leaves were drifting by my windows.
I love Fall! Autumn is the time squirrels store nuts; bears have a period of excessive eating and drinking to fatten for hibernation; birds head south to warmer climates. Even while loving much about Fall, I have been considering how I can best prepare to sail through the long dark days of winter myself. Since becoming very aware that grey days cause me much frustration and lethargy of body and mind, I have become a bit obsessed with maintaining awareness of feelings, moods, and energy levels, especially when I think a gray cloud may be looming. Since studying to become a teacher of F.M. Alexander’s work, I have been more likely to notice when those mental clouds begin threatening. As I stated in my last posting, I do think that often these moods are habitual reactions to some circumstances. For example, feeling overwhelmed by the “to-do” list is for me one of those times. More often now, I am better able to stop and ask myself why I am feeling overwhelmed ; usually I then must remind myself that the activity is something I have chosen. In those cases, I give myself orders to “snap out of it”, as my Mother would say when I was a teen. I smile at that thought and move on with a positive attitude adjustment.
Returning to my thoughts about hibernation, fall, winter approaching, and days getting shorter, actually I love cold weather and a cozy evening by the fire. The reality is, however, that my psycho-physical self does not like short days with little to no sunshine. Habitually, I will start to sink into a grey mood to match the weather outside. What to do? We always have choices; we only must stop and allow ourselves to discover them. This year, one of my answers to the shorter gray days is to consciously bathe myself in light from new high powered light fixtures. Lots of lights! Please laugh with me and picture me sitting in the diningroom next to a window where now I see blue sky. I am inside and have a high powered chandelier. Yes, it is on and yes, it has five small globes and one large one. Notice the photo I have posted with this blog entry. Yes, I am happy in it’s glow! My disclaimer, I do live on the NW corner of my building where even when the sun is shining we have no direct sun. As I look at this magnificent light fixture, I think of each globe as a container for my winter energy, just like the squirrels’ containers with the winter’s store of nuts. I can access it by simply flicking the switch! My second strategy this fall is to start now planning a couple of trips in the January through March time frame. I’ll write more about that as these adventures become reality. My overall strategy is to first be aware and admit that my negative reaction to the grayness will come and secondly to start executing a plan to handle it, now, when my energy is higer. This is the choice I am making!
For those who struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder I highly recommend the book, Winter Blues, by Norman E. Rosenthal, MD. Dr. Rosenthal is the ultimate authority on SAD as he suffers from it and has researched, written and presented often on the subject. Family and friends will find it easier to offer proper support and empathy as a result of reading Winter Blues; the one who suffers from SAD will be happy to have a useful, tangible tool to help find answers and relief. The book definitely helped me understand the problem and gave me ideas of how to empower myself.
I will admit that by being armed with my two happy lights, my new dining rooom fixture, and my plans for a few get-a-ways, I am almost looking forward to winter and discovering how successful my “squirreling-away” for winter will be. For now I will continue to be aware, to pause, to breathe that breath of life and energy; mostly, I will enjoy every moment of sunshine while it lasts and watch as the beautiful autumn leaves start to fall.