A SAD State of Affairs

I stood in my front yard very early this morning, newspaper in hand, and stared up at the inky sky.

Rooted to the spot, I enjoyed the peace of the moment, until I realized I couldn't feel my hands anymore and the cold air was making my eyes water like mad.

Is it the weather that has made it so very difficult this year to cope with seasonal depression? Is it the contentious political climate, all that anger brought to the surface? Is it work? The loss of our beloved Mabel cat? Maybe it's a perfect storm of everything that's happening right now.

Mine would probably be described as a mild case of what is now referred to as seasonal affective disorder (SAD -- aren't we clever?) Mostly, I can put on the brave face and work my way through it. Others have it much worse than I, so I don't want to complain too much.

But things are pretty rough right now.

To cope, we have installed daylight bulbs in the house. I've taken some vacation time, but put zero pressure on myself to do anything on those days except be away from work. Jigsaw puzzles have provided distraction. As have countless episodes of Call the Midwife (which, alas, I will soon be caught up with). And we have a countdown calendar in the kitchen that marks off the days to St. Patrick's Day (the Irish end of winter). Also, we left up the Christmas tree (yes, it's a fake one) just because it takes the edge off.

What disturbs me most is that I'm having a hard time reading. Books have always been my solace, but I'm finding it difficult to slog my way through any given tome. I've started several over the past few months, but only finished one or two. It's become a chore for me, and that makes me infinitely sad. I blame it on the fact that I read all day for work and my eyes are tired, but that's not a good excuse. I still read the newspaper and some of the stuff on social media, but even that becomes tedious to me.

My go-to has always been food. That's a struggle, too.

I would love to hear how others find ways to cope. Maybe there's something I've overlooked.

In any event, for all of you who are struggling along the same path, know you're not alone. You know where I am. I'd love to listen. Give me a shout.

I'll bring the tissues. And the chocolate.