The dark short days here in Alaska can quickly cause cabin fever and winter blues. We are getting homesick for our little cabin and homestead but we must stay here in Talkeetna and house sit until the end of February.
Five more weeks looks like an Eternity!
Andy gets the blues every year, but this is the first time I’ve had them. Maybe it’s the darkness, I don’t know, but I just feel like curling up and hibernating until spring!
It gets light around nine AM here, and dark around five PM. The days are definitely getting longer, but it still feels dark a lot of the time.
I’ve noticed that it really helps the winter depression if I make sure I excercise every day. It doesn’t have to be much, just something to get me active and breathing hard.
Another thing that is huge is FRESH AIR!!! Some days I don’t make it out of the house, but the days that I do I feel so much more rejuvenated and alive!
Today I did not get out. It is a wind chill of 40 below zero and the house feels like the place to be! Nevertheless, getting outside is a big help if you feel depressed.
Diet also makes a difference for me. If I’m eating square meals with protein, a carbohydrate, and vegetables, I feel better all around.
Cozy moments! For me, putting the children down for naps in the afternoon and sitting down with a hot drink and a good book for a little while makes the house seem cozy and comforting, not like a stifling trap that I need to escape.
These are all things that have helped my perspective be brighter this winter while we are far from home and getting less light during the day than what we were used to back East.
According to Andy, winter blues can’t be cured, but I think they can at least be lessened by some of the things that I mentioned.
What works for you?
You need some beach music like sea birds and ocean waves, a fire in the fireplace a plastic kiddie pool and a good imagination😉
I love it, Angela!! Good idea!
Winter blues have been way worse for me since we moved to Montana! Less daylight and long winters makes it tough! But the things you mentioned do help.
Thanks for commenting! It’s so good to not feel alone or weird in this. I really do think the amount of light we get during the day makes a big difference!
Hang in there. Spring is coming! 🙂