It’s probably the worst part of the year for a lot of people. No holidays, cold weather, February right around the corner … its yearly mandated depression. I know - clinical depression is a real thing and I’m not making light of it, I’m saying that if you are on the edge, January and February will push you over. Then, no sun for days, darkness early at night and sun comes up late … it’s all dreadful. No Eeyore-ing, I know, but try to be a tad patient with the short of temper folks, it’s all mid-winter’s fault.
So how do we overcome the doldrums? Some people go south, some drink, but I’m a big proponent of moving, as in exercise. Sweat inducing exhaustion with a great side of good health is my go-to. If I don’t exercise consistently, it just gets harder and harder to push myself. The downside is my appetite after a hard workout is big. I guess if I really wanted the maximum health benefit, eating healthy and avoiding craft beer would be something I should look into … but we’re talking about getting my head into a good space, not my gut (so back off).
With Iowa’s first in the nation caucus, it is open season on our state for all sorts of criticism. They typically point to the fact that it is freezing cold (the caucus is February 4th - duh) and that we are too non-diversified. I was trying to defend our state on Facebook and Twitter but I gave up. Haters are gonna hate and be mean regardless (trolls). It’s not worth my energy to fight them.
With everything - be it combatting the inevitable moods, your approach to wellness, our state - the only thing we can do is plow through the negativity. Do the best you can and soon it’ll be spring, the political season as far as Iowa is concerned is over and the sun will shine again. And if you see someone struggling for whatever, grab on to them and help them over the hump.
