OK, friends, there are 45 days left in the year and I have an idea about how to spend them. If you have been around for a while you know that I always, at some point in November or December, say to myself (and to my blog), "What can I DO to stave off the relentless melancholy that accompanies life in the frozen north in November and December? Why do I continue to live here?" (Answer: fewer large bugs in warm weather + proximity to three of my four adult children. Also I like my job most of the time.)
OK! So here is the 2024 version of "let's keep November from melting Jamie's brain." (Why is Jamie's brain melting when it's cold outside? Shouldn't it be setting or gelling or freezing or something along those lines? I don't know, you guys; ask me hard questions when the sunshine comes back.)
What if I-- I'm kind of procrastinating on writing down the things I want to try because they feel a little ambitious. But! A SAD sufferer's reach should exceed her grasp, or what will she lie facedown on the floor and figuratively flagellate herself about afterward?
So here we go, finally. The mood-boosting thing I most want to do is lean in hard on a discovery from 2022: daily exercise is actually easier mentally than irregular exercise. So I am going to shoot for 45 minutes of exercise per day on each of the 45 days remaining in the year.
The other mood-boosting thing I want to do is hit the produce intake guidelines every day: 2 cups of fruit, 2.5 cups of vegetables. I'm not going to be prescriptive about any other facet of my food intake, but eating plenty of produce is weirdly, annoyingly good for my energy levels and sense of well-being.
(I've been using my SAD light every day; I should be a little more consistent about vitamin D. Today I found myself listening to songs in minor keys and thinking, "Why is there so much SORROW in the world??!?" There are only five weeks until the solstice, though, and there are only 26 days until the sunsets start getting later.)
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