I succumbed to “blah.” The grey skies, the bone chilling temps, the snow and ice, the short days, the “nothing is going right,” got the better of this girl. My normal happy, perky, lively, inquisitive, busy, creative persona put on her pjs, curled up under a dog pile and blankets, and hoped this winter madness would be gone when she woke up! As expected, this technique was a complete failure, but I’m not a quitter, I was fully committed to my hibernation mode. LOL. It seems these bear creatures may have a pretty good gig going …. get chubby, snuggle up with your lovies in a nice, warm den, and hygee the winter away.
As good as that sounds, especially right now, I know I can’t stay hidden away any longer. I admit that I gave in for several weeks, but life is meant to be lived, experienced, and it is time to start venturing out of my “den.” But can I just say, man, this winter has been HARD on my psyche, my soul, my body, and my world! Ok, I’m working my way forward …. it will be baby steps, but I’m going. I’ve set a basic plan in motion with the Top Three Things I need to get out of this funk.
#1 Hello, Sunshine!
It just takes a little bit of this bright and warm goodness to start rejuvenating my soul. We haven’t seen too much of this beauty lately and I am trying to take every opportunity to spend some time, even just 5 minutes, in the sun when it is out. I was perched on the arm of my couch near my large living room windows just the other day soaking up the rays. Other days, when arctic conditions aren’t prevailing, I have tried to take a short walk, find a quiet area, and sit to enjoy a few moments of sunshine solitude.
#2 Tidy up.
OMG my floors!!! I feel like a good pressure washing is going to be in order very soon. While this is highly impractical, it sure sounds like a good plan at the moment. LOL. Brooms and mops just spread the mess around, but it is better than nothing at this point. With all my muddy, frozen, filthy, 4 footed traffic right now I am overdue to be on my hands and knees with my Norwex cloths. But seriously, a little bit of cleaning and tidying up certainly does give me a sense of accomplishment and makes me feel better. Spring cleaning is coming right up and I like to tackle things a little bit at a time until I’m done. I’ve also fallen by the wayside with my daily/weekly cleaning routine, so I’m double duty behind on things. Again, baby steps and no negative/guilty thoughts, just work to improve, right?!? Maybe if I put some of those cloths on my 4 footed babies we can work together and have these floors shining in no time!! Especially when they get the zoomies …. Hear that, Norwex product designers, cleaning booties for the hounds? Floor cleaning at “zoomie speed” may be your next big thing …. you’re welcome! LOL
#3 Move and Groove.
This is a two-fold category. I need to improve my “movement” and also my nutrition. Hibernating is hard on both of these. As far as movement goes just get up and walk around. The new recommendation is 30 minutes, 5 times a week. Do three 10 minute walks if that works best in your schedule/lifestyle … the 30 minutes doesn’t have to be all at once, it just has to be. I see people at my office walking the halls on their 10-15 minute breaks, or “marching” in place at their desks, whatever works for you. I sure hope no one watches our security cameras closely because they will catch me doing some pretty goofy looking things in the middle of the night as I try to get my “moves” on. 😵 So with all this talk about getting our “moves” on, we need to get in the “groove” of having the right fuel to make all this movement happen and my nutrition has been pretty terrible through this hibernation period. I either just didn’t eat or I ate poorly. I have never had much of an appetite. I have found that I feel best with a “grazing” style of eating and, therefore, need small portion, high nutrition food stuff. (there are only so may hard boiled eggs a girl can eat..js) As I was organizing my seeds for gardening, I stumbled upon some new articles about microgreens, sprouting, and baby veggies. Did you know that greens and veggies in these forms are far nutritionally superior to their adult counterparts? As they sprout and grow, these veggies and greens utilize huge amounts of vitamins and nutrients to support their growth and development. By harvesting them in these early stages, we are able to take advantage of those extra nutrients. Digestion is also MUCH easier for our bodies during this young stage of the plant. We have decreased gas and bloating with better absorption of nutrients. AND sprouts are ready to eat in 5-7 days!! Sounds like a win-win situation to me! As a result, and to get into my “groove,” I’ve decided to start sprouting and growing microgreens. I started 3 jars of sprouts, lentils, sunflowers, and quinoa. Lentils contain 26% protein in their sprout form and as a vegetarian I am always looking for yummy protein sources. Sunflowers sprouts are considered to the the “best all around” as they contain high concentrations of many vitamins we need and have the best taste. Quinoa because I had it, I love it, and have never grown it before! Not only will sprouting help improve my nutritional needs, but it will also satisfy my “immediate gratification” side AND the “need to grow something” fever I experience every late winter/early spring. Moving and grooving, that’s what I’m talking about!
Thank you for sticking with me to the end of this blog. I’m sure I am not alone in my “hibernation struggles” aka depression. I bring it to you in a silly, story format, not to undermine the condition or anyone with it, but because depression is very difficult to acknowledge, discuss, and seek treatment for. The negative stigma associated with any kind of mental disease is one of the primary reasons treatment is not sought. It is wonderful to see all the resources and social media attempts to help dismiss the negative connotation of these diseases. There are so many different forms of depression and each one of us many develop any form(s) at any time. As I was buried in my dog pile and blankets, I realized I was having a situational/seasonal form of depression. Acknowledging it is the first step to improvement and I certainly denied it for a little bit because “I am not the type of person to have depression.” Well, am I human? Yes. Then I, in fact, AM the “type.” What caused it? For me, it was tragic situations beyond my control in combination with the horrible weather. I got pushed over that little hump that divides my happy, lively, “Squirrel” personality and my hibernation mode. It is hard to admit and even harder to talk about, but I owe that foremost to myself, and secondly to you. The easier we make it to talk about, the easier and more readily available “treatment” is. Find the source and it will dictate the treatment. I needed time to grieve and some sunshine as my treatment, this time (who knows what the future holds). Thank you to my family and friends who worried about me, loved me, and gave me the time and space I needed to draw my own conclusions. I am lucky to have you. Others may not have such a temporary/minor form and need support more than I. Please keep a watchful eye over yourself and your “lovies.” Take care of each other ❤
See you soon!
~Auntie D