First week

[vaneramos]

Last night I went to bed at 10:50 and read the introduction to Becoming Animal with enough alertness to make notes in the margins, look up unusual words (interbeing, recondite) and remember what I had read. By then it was 11:30. I didn't feel sleepy yet, but it was time to call it a night. I went to sleep easily and soundly until the radio came on at 6:00. Much better!

Since yesterday I have felt morose, listless and unfocused, the first possible signs of SAD this winter. October and November are usually the worst months, but I didn't get depressed even despite persistent insomnia, so I won't complain if it starts now. Yesterday afternoon when I arrived home was the first time in weeks I didn't feel like digging into the writing routine, so I took a little break, played a game of Catan, fixed a problem with the loom, and made rice pasta with broccoli and President's Choice alfredo sauce (which contains no wheat!). After dinner I finally lit a candle and settled down to write an entry in the winter journal. A little atmosphere helps. This morning despite the good sleep I didn't want to get out of bed. I'll keep an eye on my energy level for the next few days. Maybe it's time to start using the light box.

As for the bedtime routine, starting this Sunday I'll add Sunday and Saturday to the schedule, making five evenings a week in bed with a book by 11 and lights out by 11:30 (if Danny goes to bed before me I can read in the living room). On Tuesdays bed before 11:15 is impractical, but I should be in bed by then, lights out by 11:45. I've decided to keep Friday evenings open. In a couple weeks I'll shift the times forward by 15 minutes, then once more in early February to 10:30 and 11. I'll stick with the David Abram book until it's done so I can write a review.

The first week has gone well, so I'll stop reporting every day and just report on the changes unless problems arise.

Comments

[blt4success66.livejournal.com]

while I haven't had the direct talk with the doc yet, I know my Vit D and Thyroid levels aren't where they're supposed to be. I don't need a diagnosis to determine what I already know - I suffer from SAD.

Hope it gets better for you hon!

:)

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I've experienced SAD for years. Vitamin D supplements and the light box worked very well for me last year. I believe Vitamin D and Omega-3s may have helped delay the onset this year. A daily walk outdoors during daylight without sunglasses has also helped me in the past, but it is hard to make time for that with jobs and all, isn't it?

I also like to keep it in perspective: calling this a disorder is stupid. It is a natural physiological response to the change of seasons. Our bodies are telling us to hibernate and conserve energy, but we're not allowed to do that! I use a light box so I can go to work and pay the bills, not because I am sick.

[blt4success66.livejournal.com]

I never thought of it that way but you're correct. It is the time of year our bodies use to conserve and rest. It is the flow of nature.

HUGS!

[inishglora.livejournal.com]

I love that word, recondite. It has euphony, its meaning is appealing to me, and it also sounds like the name of a mineral or a rock or a gemstone.

And I agree 100% with your refutation that SAD is a 'disorder.' Good perspective. And I need to get a light box of my own, even with the cod liver oil for Vit D.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

If I can work out a freelance writing career, I won't have to worry so much about treating said disorder. I have found that regardless of my energy and state of mind, I don't mind writing on a winter morning. Even writing blather on a Saturday morning. It avoids the kind of activity I find onerous before 11 a.m.