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A very ‘Blue Monday’ and the weather to fit it!

Ever heard of the condition SAD? Seasonal affective disorder, that one. Ever thought upon hearing about it that it’s just a myth and nobody actually suffers from it? Well, if you open your eyes during the months of January and February it doesn’t take much to understand how real this condition is.

Over the past two weeks I’ve found my mood fluctuating massively. Mostly during the afternoon when I come over extremely tired and feeling a bit miserable. I realise my highly sugary diet which I’m blaming Christmas for (though I know I should have snapped out of it by now) doesn’t help, but nor does this awful weather. Some days I feel that I haven’t seen daylight at all and it starts getting dark at around 2pm (if it ever got light in the first place).

I look outside of the window each morning hoping for one of those extra crisp and bright winters days. You know the kind; clear blue skies, sunshine, maybe a touch of frost too if we’re lucky. Bliss. But no. Not one. In fact the other day for the first time all winter, all four tables outside the little shop that I work at were filled with people enjoying warm beverages and it made me so happy. It’s the little things! But it did. They had blankets, of course, but it was that bit of brightness that brought them all out and brought the village to life again. That was one day.

Then continued the gloomy dark days of January for another week. People constantly discussing how dreadful it is to be outside, telling you how many degrees Celsius it is (not that you want to be reminded) and informing you that it’s just started raining…again.

It’s a fact that the weather affects your mood and it takes no scientist to figure that one out. Yesterday, I awoke to darkness and rain drops covering my window. That’s how it was for the entire day. It didn’t help that yesterday was ‘blue Monday‘, deemed the most depressing day of the year because everybody’s back at work, realising that the holiday season is well and truly over and most are also out of budget due to an expensive December, but I for one felt miserable. I know that my misery was due to the weather and no matter how hard you try to avoid it affecting your whole mood, it does. You look outside for a bit of cheeriness on days that you don’t feel so chipper and it doesn’t help if outdoors looks as gloomy as you feel.

On the other hand, this morning I awoke to clear blue skies, bright sunshine and the day began with a huge smile filling my face. I instantly wanted to get out of bed and get on with everything that I had to do. That’s right, good weather makes you want to do stuff. I felt good walking to work after a productive morning. I felt good at work and didn’t come over with that dreary tiredness that I’d been feeling for the rest of the typically solemn January days that have recently passed. Sunshine brings happiness, rain makes you downhearted – fact. Especially when it’s rain accompanied by darkness and you feel as though this may be the end of life on earth. Dramatic? Maybe slightly, but I’m sure you’ve had similar thoughts regarding rubbish winter weather before.

So, let’s hope for more days like the one captured above during the first two months of the year, less of the darkness and less of the rain. May the sunshine be welcomed and remain for as long as the days drag out but if not, then bring on the spring!

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