Beat the Blahs
Posted by Susie Lloyd in Health on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 6:00 AM
Do you get the blahs? Mine come nearly every day from two to four in the afternoon.
Afternoons were always tough. A particularly embarrassing memory comes from my college days. I had fallen asleep in class. Somehow through the dreamy blur I managed to perceive my teacher standing before me with his head bent way sideways to the floor. Yup. That’s what I was doing. It’s a wonder I didn’t fall out of my chair.
These days with the stresses of raising a family, I’m more than tired in the afternoons. I’m depressed. I start questioning the meaning of life. Take today. It’s winter and even though our parish will sing carols until February 2nd, Christmas feels over.
Neighbors’ lights are gone. Store decorations are gone. More importantly, our two daughters are gone. Last Sunday it was back to college with them. Even though there are still seven of us in the house, it feels like they took the fun with them. It’s no wonder I’m feeling blah.
If you suffer from the winter afternoon blahs, you’re not the only one. Here are some of the things I do to snap myself out of it. If you have any tips for me, please comment below. I can use all the help I can get!
Take a walk. Today was sunny; the sky was blue, and it was warm. Even if it weren’t, I’d go out anyway. In fact, I walk more often in the winter time than in the summer time. In summer I have my pick of activities to do outside. I wake to the sound of birds beckoning. “Come out, we’re having a great time!” In winter with the house all closed up against the cold, it is all the more necessary to get out and get the blood pumping. The kids come with me. They need it too. I resist putting my hands in my pockets and instead wave my arms around. Soon I’m chasing the kids. They are shouting, “You can’t get me!” We are having fun and feeling revived.
Take a nap. Siestas are not in my French-Canadian blood but practicality is. I’ve learned that a “wasted” half hour of sleep (or at least rest) saves me from two hours of drag. By the way, a half hour is tops. Anything more than that and I enter a deep sleep and wake up in a funk that is worse than the drag that started it all.
Have a sip of wine. Preparing for dinner usually finds me sipping wine. It’s dry red for me. It doesn’t matter how tired I am, the wine makes it okay. Call it medicinal.
Put on a kids’ video. We don’t do a lot of TV but when we do, this is the perfect time. The little kids are tired too. Why not let them relax with a video? It gives the whole house some down time.
Write or call a friend. Got a friend you’ve been meaning to call? Or is there someone in need you keep putting off writing to? That afternoon “between” time may be the right time. Make yourself a cup of tea, sneak a cookie (the kids are watching TV, remember?) and settle in for some relationship building.
Clean something. I tend to fear cleaning more than I really hate it. I can walk by a mess for a week before getting my nerve up to tackle it. Once I get going, I get into the job and actually enjoy it. It makes a good substitute for a walk if the weather is bad.
Snack run. Yeah I know. Grocery shopping is a chore. So forget that. Run out and get some comfort food to perk your spirits up. Blast some music on the way. It does my heart good to see that not everybody is in a funk. The world is still turning. It’s full of color and activity.
Move the furniture and dance Zumba! Just had to throw this in. My daughter takes Zumba classes at her college recreation center. It’s fun, it’s great exercise, and it’s so easy to learn. She taught it to us in just a few minutes. Zumba is everywhere these days. Check the internet for classes near you.
Plan your vacation. Forget post-Christmas let down. January is the time I usually start perusing rental houses by the sea shore. We can’t do it this year because of money. But that’s not going to stop me from researching other spring and summer activities we can do for free or on the cheap with the whole family.
Meditate. This is last because it’s the most important. Three pm is the time of day in which Our Lord died on the cross and saved us from sin. I can’t help but think He may allow the mid-afternoon blahs so that I’ll think of Him. Perhaps He is calling me to spend a few minutes with Him at His special hour. I frequent a perpetual adoration chapel nearby but you can lift up your heart anywhere you happen to be.
So do you ... use light lamps? Plan your garden? Read Faith and Family Live? How do you remedy the mid-afternoon winter blahs?
—Senior writer Susie Lloyd’s latest book is Bless Me Father For I Have Kids.
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