Day 1837: SAD

What is your first association with SAD?

My first association with SAD these days is that it’s a negative and judgmental way to end a tweet. SAD.

My second association, these days, is Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is

a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer.

Treatment for SAD may include light therapy (phototherapy), medications and psychotherapy.

Don’t brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the “winter blues” or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own. Take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year.

I’m happy to quote the Mayo Clinic, above, about SAD.  I’m sad to report that many people I know are currently dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I may have some SADness, too, because I struggle to keep my mood and motivation steady during this time of year.

The steps I take to keep my mood and motivation steady include

• sharing my thoughts and feelings,
• helping others,
• eating healthy and comforting food,

• avoiding snow and ice,

• being inspired by others,

• seeking light wherever I can find it,

• and listening to music.

At least, Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” reminds me that summer is on the way.

Yesterday, in my therapy group, people talked about making gratitude lists to help themselves feel less sad.  My gratitude list includes all those who helped me create this SAD post and — of course! — YOU.

Day 1113: A-void

Every morning, I do not avoid facing a void, here at WordPress, of an empty blog post — a void  I need to fill, daily,  with words, images, and (sometimes) YouTube videos.

There are certain tasks and obligations I do wish I could avoid. For example, I always want to avoid doing my yearly taxes. And when I was young, I avoided practicing scales on the piano (although I never avoided playing my favorite music).

Perhaps I do not wish to avoid daily blogging  because  blogging …

1. still feels like a choice — rather than a task or obligation —  after more than three years and
2. fills some sort of void for me.

Last night, my boyfriend Michael and I did not avoid seeing a movie about the existential human void of loneliness: Anomalisa, “a stop-motion adult animated romantic comedy-drama” written and co-directed by Charlie Kaufman.  We have not avoided previous Charlie Kaufman movies, like Being John Malkovich and  Eternal Sunshine  of the Spotless Mind, and I’m glad we did not avoid Anomalisa.

Because I  avoid taking photos while watching a movie, there is a conspicuous void of Anomalisa –  related images in today’s post. However, I did not avoid taking these other pictures yesterday, which I shall now use to fill the photographic void:

 

Which of those images would you rather avoid?  Which best illustrates a void to you?

I need to fill a void, now, by telling you that if any of those photos are too small to read, you can avoid eyestrain by clicking on it.

While human beings may sometimes avoid endings, all things must come to an end, including this “A-void” post.  Before it does,  I do not want to avoid honoring a human being whose death left a huge void, in 1968.

Here‘s  Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speech:

And to further fill the void, here are some quotes from him:

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”

The time is always right to do what is right.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the the whole staircase.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

If you wish, please fill the void below this post with a comment.  And thanks to all for visiting here, today.