Let There Be Light

Surviving the Dark Months without Actually Hibernating

I always joke that the worst day of the year for me is when we “fall back” to Standard Time from Daylight Savings Time.  I can feel the shift before it officially happens.  It’s a dread of winter, shorter days, and the season of darkness.  Once this time change occurs, it feels to me like the descent into what should be a period of hibernation.  I think the bears may have it right.  Maybe we’re meant to sleep through the dark winter months and when we wake up, it’s spring!  For my readers from the southern hemisphere, though it is not winter where you are, maybe you can revisit this post in a few months.

I have always been a sun lover.  Nothing puts me in a better head space than a bright, sunny summer day.  I love how the sunrise plays in the sky and trees, electrifying nature to start the day.  And then there are those long, lazy evenings to sit outside and watch the sun slowly sink below the horizon.  I know our circadian rhythms depend on a period of dark in a 24 hour cycle, but I am addicted to those longest days when light prevails for the majority of those hours. 

Since I left my job, I picked up a new hobby of photography.  A gift of a very nice zoom for my camera has opened a whole new world of seeing life through a close-up lens.  While gathering photos of our recent three-week excursion through Alberta and British Columbia to make a photo book, I noticed that many of my photos play with light.  Early morning and late evening light are my favorites.  The sun does something special as it works its way higher and lower in the sky and I love capturing how light filters over mountains, through trees, and leaves shadowy reflections on water.  If you view my last blog post which featured some of my photos of our beautiful fall this year, you will notice how my favorites are those that play with light. 

This struggle with the dark months is an annual occurrence for me and I’ve had to get creative to keep my spirits up and find light when it isn’t happening outside my windows.  I can only light so many candles or leave strings of mini white lights burning all hours around the house.  Leaving all the lamps and ceiling lights on continually is not healthy for our energy bill or environmentally friendly.  The only solution to the “hibernation season” for me, is to find light within and focus on keeping it bright while the world around me is dark far too many hours of the day. 

So how do we go about keeping that inner light glowing when it seems like there is a lot of darkness around us?  I’ve discovered a few things that help me keep thinking positively and optimistically.

-          First, find what brings you joy and spend more time doing it.  What in your life gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside?  Figure out what those things are and make ways to do them more often.  Spend time being creative, plan outings with your favorite people, bundle up and take walks outside, play upbeat music while you work your way through your daily routine.  It can be as simple as making a hot cup of tea and reading poetry (at least that works for me!) 

-          Next, set your mind on gratitude.  Make a daily list of things you are thankful for.  I like to thank God first thing in the morning and at the end of my day for the blessings I have in my life.  It’s hard to feel blue when you focus on how fortunate you are in the grand scheme.  It helps me to get specific and make a list of the tiny moments in each day that we often take for granted.  I was recently challenged to do a “backward review” of the day’s events each evening.  Doing that has helped me be more aware of the positive.

-          Keep busy!  That doesn’t mean buzzing about all day long accomplishing a lot of activity.  It means giving your mind and body reasons to move and breathe and keep going when things seem bleak.  The days go much faster when you have things to do.  Sometimes for me that’s cleaning out a drawer, going through the photos on my phone, researching a topic or destination, seeking out an online friend for a chat or facetime.  Little things can mean a lot when you’re trying to keep your internal fire lit. 

So here’s to another “fall back”.  Instead, let’s think of it as “falling forward”.  Each day brings new opportunity for something really great to happen.  Sometimes we have to make them happen. My plan is to not just keep my inner fire lit, but to fuel it and keep it glowing brightly.  And in the meantime, there are 126 days till we “spring forward”! 

I’d love to hear what you do to keep your heart happy through the dark days of winter.  Share in the comments what you have figured out to keep your inner glow when things outside and in the world seem dim.  We’re all in this together!