Got the Winter Blues?

Got the winter blues? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us are dealing with cold winter temps and gray skies and what seems like one winter storm after another. Days are short, and nights are long, causing many to feel the effects of seasonal depression, identified as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) by the National Institutes of Mental Health in the 1980’s. Symptoms can include a loss of energy, changes in appetite and sleeping habits, irritability, and loss of interest in socializing and other activities.

It’s enough to make you want to fly south! But if that’s not an option, there are some closer to home options that can help. Vitamin supplements, light therapy, and at least some sort of daily exercise are among the most often recommended.

In addition, keeping your brain stimulated and continuing to engage in activities and hobbies that you enjoy can have a positive impact.

In some small way, I hope our weekly puzzles and our books help our readers spend some happy times doing something they enjoy. Check out this week’s puzzle, “Flying South”, and you can at least go somewhere warmer in your mind!