If you’re like me, you might deal with an influx of depression and like feelings during winter months. It’s cold and wet here in the pacific north west, and it stays grey for five months straight. When March finally brings days with peeps of sunshine, everyone crawls out of their caves and it’s like the town comes alive again. Thank goodness summer is officially here and I can start feeling human again.
I’ve notice when the days get darker and greyer, my mood gets darker and greyer.
There’s actually a term for this; It’s called SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. I know so many people this affects, but it’s never really talked about. Mental Health, in general, isn’t something that is openly talked about. The majority of us tend to suffer in silence and hope it goes away in fear of the social stigma placed on mental health issues. This is the worst thing you could do.
Always reach out to someone in times of sorrow; Whether that’s a friend, family member, psychiatrist, online service like Better Help, or a random stranger on the bus.
I was one of those people who hid their depression from everyone and it would come out in unhealthy ways: Drug use, excessive alcohol use, taking it out on the people who loved me, and isolating myself from the world. It took over 10 years and landing in a very, very dark place that allowed me to see that I needed to make drastic changes or I was going to die.
When I was 26, January of 2016, I decided that I wasn’t going to be able to accomplish anything and change if I didn’t get sober. January 8, 2016 I announced my sobriety. Sobriety unleashed a whole other layer of mental health problems, and the last three years I’ve been learning to cope with everything.
Something that I have been able to recognize, though, are the many triggers of my depression and anxiety.
One of those triggers is the weather.
I don’t know how I didn’t catch onto that when I was younger. My mom used to think I had Bipolar Disorder when I was growing up, and would tell me that I would always go into a depression during the late fall. Never corelating the weather with my mood, I just thought I was crazy. Now, after years of sobriety, therapy and a lot of personal development, I am more in touch with myself. I notice the shift of energy with the seasons and the moon cycle.
Also, after many months of therapy, I can assure you I don’t have Bipolar Disorder.
While depression is still something I deal with all year round, it it noticeably more prevalent during the colder, darker months. There are many things you can do to help with this: Vitamin D supplements, Exercise, Drinking more water, therapy, meditation, yoga, eating healthy vitamin rich foods, etc.
Now that’s summer is here, I have noticed such a shift of energy. I feel more energized, and optimistic. Part of that is situational as well since last winter my life was falling apart and I didn’t surrender to the changes that were happening. However, I felt it strongly in my heart last night when I was walking Joey around 9 PM and the sun was still out enough for me to feel it’s warmth. I was in a t-shirt and smiling as the breeze blew my hair around my face.
In that moment of bliss, I felt so much gratitude for the sun.
It has always been my dream to travel full time. If you’ve been following my YouTube channel, you will know that I’ve been building out my 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan into a minivan camper conversion. I have successfully already built a bed, and installed cheap flooring. I made covers for the windows and she’s just about ready to go.
Now, my ultimate goal is to chase the sun. I want to go where the sun is and live my life as a younger snowbird. I always want to live in summer.
I have people in my life telling me that this dream is unrealistic, but I disagree. I believe I can do it. It may be rough in the beginning and challenging, but I truly believe that I can live the dream that I think fits me.
I just turned 30 last month. I have spent the first 26 years listening to what other people told me to do with my life; Where to go, who to be, what the do, and so forth. I spent those years unhappy as I tried to please everyone else. What is the point of life if you never live for yourself? Even if I was to fail, at least I will have known that I tried, and to me that is success.
I’m ready to live the life I want to live. I’m ready to get out there and enjoy this sunshine for me and only me. Thank you, summer, for blessing us with your presence.
Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube Channel, MyBasicJourney, to keep up with my adventures and #vanlife. Thank you so much for being here and reading this. I have been neglecting my blog lately because life has been a crazy roller coaster. I don’t like to give excuses, but the truth is that I have just enjoyed creating videos so I’ve been putting a lot of energy into that. As well as taking on a new job that is more hours a week.
Please reach out to me via the contact page if you have any questions at all, or leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you. I appreciate all of the love and support I’ve been getting on my YouTube videos, as well.
Until Next Time,
xoxo
