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Winter Slumps

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Hello,

Every winter I start what I call a brain hibernation. Its almost as if all the intellectual energy and vibrance of thought escapes me from about November to Febuary. Its causes me much frustration, and at times, will cast me into a deep depression. Does anyone have any ideas as to how to stimulate brain activity? Or maybe any suggestions for books? Anything would help.

(please, no caustic remarks...this is very serious for me)

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I'm no expert on this, but your problem could be caused by seasonal affective disorder. Here's a link that may help: http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/27.cfm

I would first try walking outside for an hour during the day each day, and see if that helps.

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Thanks for the advice, I'll definately give that a try. I've considered Seasonal Affective Disorder before as a cause for this kind of degredation, but never seriously. The only problem is I live in Philadelphia, and soon it will be a billion degrees below zero :D . So though walking may be a good idea now, it may get a little too nippy in a month or so.

Thanks for the advice!

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During the winter I don't always get as much exercise as the rest of the year, because it's always dark outside. I think exercise can help the proper function of the brain. So in some past winters I've played "Dance Dance Revolution" on the Playstation 2. Maybe it's the darkness and shorter days bothering you, so you may also want to make at least one room really unusually brightly lit.

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I agree, exercise is key. If you have a chance, skiing is what keeps me going through the winter. With you being in college, this might not be possible, but exercise really helps me. Running, soccer, swimming, etc, always make me feel better. My parental unit was becoming angry at me because it was taking me so much longer to do homework then my friend, who is playing football and soccer, while I only play soccer. I really do think that after exercise it is easier to concentrate, but that's just me.

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Every winter I start what I call a brain hibernation. Its almost as if all the intellectual energy and vibrance of thought escapes me from about November to Febuary. Its causes me much frustration, and at times, will cast me into a deep depression. Does anyone have any ideas as to how to stimulate brain activity? [...]

By "brain activity" I assume you mean mental activity. If so, then my question would be: For what purpose?

The core of life is achieving one's highest personal values. That requires mental activity throughout the year. Seasonal changes might affect the "edges" around that core, but not the core itself.

My highest personal values are, in this order:

1. Work (central purpose in life).

2. Friends.

3. Favorite leisure activities (for me, reading adventure stories and roving, in the form of either walking or biking).

Seasonal changes don't prevent the achievement of any of these values, though, in 3, walking and bicycling are more difficult or occasionally need to be postponed or done in a different form in the winter (e.g., climbing stairs in my apartment building rather than walking on icy sidewalks).

Happiness comes from the pursuit and steady achievement of one's values.

What are your highest personal values? Does winter affect them necessarily? If so, can you think of ways to work around that?

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Burgess, I can't speak for Megan of course but "almost as if all the intellectual energy and vibrance of thought escapes me" does not sound like something one can easily work around. I get a milder form of this in the summer; the heat and humidity make me feel really sluggish and I have trouble concentrating on anything. I have to periodically run cold water on my head to cool down.

The only problem is I live in Philadelphia, and soon it will be a billion degrees below zero :) . So though walking may be a good idea now, it may get a little too nippy in a month or so.

Philly isn't that cold; just buy some decent winter clothes and you should be fine. (I grew up in Ottawa and spent lots of time outdoors at subzero temps.)

You could also try the bright indoor lights. I agree about exercise, too.

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Burgess, I can't speak for Megan of course but "almost as if all the intellectual energy and vibrance of thought escapes me" does not sound like something one can easily work around. [...]

Did I say that the solution I recommended would be easy to implement? If you believe I did say such, then please cite my words.

Identifying one's highest goals and developing plans for achieving them are often quite difficult. For example, for most people (not all) discovering a central purpose in life is a difficult and time-consuming process.

Likewise, learning to treat life's adversities -- such as inclement weather -- as "flow" experiences is an insight that many never gain. What I mean by "flow" is learning to see adversities as exciting challenges -- energizers not enervators. For instance, a mathematician living in Alaska can see that the cold does not stifle his beloved CPL, nor his friendships, nor his leisure activities. If he has just now moved from Arizona, he might see, as a challenge, a need to learn how to dress warmly enough that he can engage in outdoor activities by himself or with his friends.

I am basing my conclusions about winter "depression" on observation of perhaps a dozen individuals over the last several decades. In every case, these individuals were people who lacked a passionately held and ruthlessly implemented CPL. They also lacked the "flow" skill, the skill of turning adversity into an exciting challenge to be overcome. Too cold to run every day? Great! I will learn to ski, snow-shoe, or hike with appropriate clothing! I can read books about winter survival and I can join mountaineers clubs to find out even more and maybe make new friends!

Whether the cause of winter "depression" is physical, psychological, or philosophical, solutions are available. Physical problems require expertise I don't have. Psychological problems -- as I know from experience many years ago -- require either a lot of work on one's own or they require competent psychotherapy. (I would start with Dr. Ellen Kenner.) Philosophical problems, such as not having passionately held and objective goals in life, as well as skills for dealing with adversities, are often difficult to deal with too.

As Megan said, the issue is serious, and it deserves full attention -- and that means a lot of work may be required. But that is okay, because that is what life is -- making life itself better and longer.

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Burgess,

My problem is not the lack of a central purpose. Though I am young, I have found my purpose and I exert all of my energy toward the study of history and philosophy. I've written before about the system for analyzing history that I am building, this is my life's work. The problem is a step ahead of this. The depression I experience in the winter impairs my ability to think clearly enough to pursue my goals. Thats what makes me sad. You're right about achieving values, of course this brings happiness. The trouble is the sadness that overcomes me in the winter months inhibits my pursuit of value and thus makes me sad and frustrated.

Its simply: work makes me happy, November makes me idle, I can't work when I'm idle, November makes me sad.

If I could just pick up my pen and start writing as brilliantly as ever, believe me I would. But its more complicated. Its as if I'm struck temporarily with inability. As soon as March comes and the grass turns green again, I'll start making sense. But the period in between is torchure.

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[...] The depression I experience in the winter impairs my ability to think clearly enough to pursue my goals. [...]

Its simply: work makes me happy, November makes me idle, I can't work when I'm idle, November makes me sad.

If I could just pick up my pen and start writing as brilliantly as ever, believe me I would. But its more complicated. Its as if I'm struck temporarily with inability. [...]

I need clarification. You say inability, but your description leads me to infer that it is only your writing for your CPL that suffers beginning in November. Is that true?

That is, are you unable to pay the rent on time, order a meal in a restaurant, shop for groceries, and so forth? You don't mention losing any of those abilities.

In this thread you have proven -- on November 16 -- that you can write intelligently and cogently. So, you haven't lost the ability to write.

If these inferences are true, then are you saying that what you lose in November-February is only the ability to work at the highest level on projects directed toward your CPL?

If so, the solution may be easier than it first appears. If I made that connection -- a certain season curtails my pursuit of my highest value, my work -- I would say: "This may be a tremendous opportunity to uncover a big mismatch in my subconsciously held beliefs."

For instance, if I were in your place, I would wonder if perhaps I subconsciously saw winter as death, that is, as a hopeless prospect. What's the point of working toward a long-term goal when there is no long-term? I know this from personal experience. Twice in the last 10 years I thought I might very well die within a few days or less.

My love of my CPL did not diminish. However, I took no actions whatsoever toward achieving it. Why would I? Achievement seemed hopeless for a time.

I am not saying this is your situation. I am saying, this is how I would approach it.

If you are interested, I could describe a situation in my life that required psychotherapy (only two sessions), and I graduated with a much greater understanding of myself and the enormous effect that subconsciously held beliefs have on our behavior.

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If so, the solution may be easier than it first appears. If I made that connection -- a certain season curtails my pursuit of my highest value, my work -- I would say: "This may be a tremendous opportunity to uncover a big mismatch in my subconsciously held beliefs."

For instance, if I were in your place, I would wonder if perhaps I subconsciously saw winter as death, that is, as a hopeless prospect. What's the point of working toward a long-term goal when there is no long-term? I know this from personal experience. Twice in the last 10 years I thought I might very well die within a few days or less.

Your infences were correct, Burgess. I did indeed mean writing as in the entire process (thinking most importantly) as opposed to simply the physical action of writing.

And you are right again with the above quote. And all I can say top you, sir, is WOW. I didn't even realize this, and its almost percisely how I feel. Thats amazing...it really is! The promise of a solution simply by a basic, albeit rough, identification of the problem has sent a surge of excitement through me! Thank you!

I have to go. I have a lot of thinking to do.

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If what I have offered helps, great. But I can't claim any originality for it. This idea of winter bringing death was so common among people of all times -- for understandable reasons -- that the Greeks, among others, turned it into a myth, that is, into a regularly told story. It survived precisely because it has such wide appeal. Winter brings death, Spring brings life again.

Best to you in your adventures.

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So in some past winters I've played "Dance Dance Revolution" on the Playstation 2.

DDR is an awesome form of exercise. You don't need a playstation 2 either, you can download a free program Step Mania from the internet then get a PS2 to USB adapter and play on your computer. After that the fun part is building a collections of songs, I have over 700 on my program, that’s way to many songs to dance to in one night! DDR is one of my favorite social dorm room activities, two pads btw is a must have.

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I'll second (third) the suggestion on exercise. Even in Michigan and Minneapolis winters, I made a point of trudging through the snow for half an hour every morning. It's a bit of work, but it gets my mind going. Something about physical exhaustion early in the day works for me: When my body's tired but my mind is still fresh, I find I can really concentrate on a task.

If some of your faculties really are seasonal however, it would be a good idea to take an inventory of what you are and aren't doing as well. If you find a few specific areas, you might be able to find ways to work around these areas. If you spend much of the year writing notes and roughing out ideas, perhaps you can make a habit of spending the winter months reviewing the year's work and putting it into book or presentation format. A seasonal schedule that enforces time spent on some of the less creative work that supports your passion wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

You might also spend some time examining the shortcomings you identify in the winter months. Reevaluate them or run them past others to be sure it's not just your perception of your accomplishments that changes in these months.

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I say partake in winter-time activities. Walks are excellent, but try ice-skating or curling or hockey. I've enjoyed all three here in Indianapolis. If you get enough snow, even youthfull activities like sledding are fun enough.

I'm already looking forward to a multitude of books i've collected my undergraduate years here at IU and read them over this break now that I"ll have graduated. I'd also suggest you take a weekend and do some traveling, if only for NYE.....

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  • 1 month later...

I know exactly what you mean: I suffer from the same symptoms. I have never been diagnosed, but in winters past I have found a few tricks (which have no scientific basis, these are just things that I have found have helped me):

1- I go tanning every two to three weeks starting in January. (You may want to start a bit earlier). I don't go frequently, just every time that the weather begins to get to me.

2- I spend more time doing fluff things like reading that I would not normally focus time on. I watch more movies, even watching movies that I have seen numerous times before. For some reason that I do not understand this helps me focus on other activities that would otherwise suffer.

3- I give myself more breaks. I allow for the fact that my mind tends to wander, and instead of fighting it I work around it. I also tend to stay up later during the winter and catch up on sleep during the day when (at least to me) there is nothing romantic about the weather. I enjoy winter nights with the wind howling, the pink sky during a snowstorm...etc. I try to find aspects to winter time that I can like. However, I hate to ski and ice skate. I hate being cold!!!

4- I increase how much iron intake I receive. I eat more steaks, and take an iron supplement.

5- I got a dog which forces me to take daily walks.

~My sister and I both have suffered from winter time blues for years and we were always told that it was inside our heads. My sister now lives in San Diego and lives a normal life year round whereas she used to go a little crazy during the long Utah winters. When I can afford to I will live somewhere warm!! In the mean time I expect to be a little slower. I also expect that my desire to be active all the time will decrease and so I allow myself more time to accomplish tasks, and I don't focus too much on what I haven't done or accomplished. I find that just makes me feel worse!! Mostly I just expect winter to affect me in certain ways and I watch for the warning signs that I am suffering from the winter, and then choose to do something to counter it (like go tanning or eat some steak!!!)

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Even though it has been said to death in this thread already, I find exercise to help me alot, especially during the winter months.

I only see the daylight on the weekdays due to the nature of my job. I get especially unmotivated, lethargic, and depressed during this time of the year. Part of that probably comes from my extreme disliking of the cold.

By the time I get out of work my brain is fried from working a very dull job looking at a computer screen all day. This is a problem because I have another half a day to face doing school work, practicing music, or pursuing other intellectual activities that require hours of intense concentration.

I find that maintianing a very clean diet, coupled with very intense wieght and cardiovascular training helps tremendously. I have to force myself to hit the gym after work and not go to sleep, but after the first 15 minutes my heart rate is soaring and I find myself in a highly focused state. After my workout I feel mentally refreshed, and very creative.

This doesn't really get rid of the winter blues, but it does provide temporary relief for me.

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Move to Arizona. It was 72 degrees here today.

We have more sunny days than Florida.

:) I had the same problems in winter which was a MAJOR motivation in me moving to FL (among other things). I honestly do not have that problem anymore (at least for the last two years) and I think it is related to the amount of sunshine. Also Aesthetics. Winter is even nicer and more temperate then Summer here, so even as the days shorten, the quality of the weather improves. I don't miss the cold dreary VA winters at all!

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