I live in Southern California which is considered to be Endless Summer by much of the world. Recently we had a couple bouts of much needed rain, though the drought experts say it will have little impact. Now that we have just passed the Winter Solstice, the days will lengthen gradually, but it has been several weeks of very early darkness. As the rain pitter-pattered on our roof, even my dog was happy to stay under the covers and sleep. I bathed her, blow dried her, wrapped her in her warm nightgown and put her under there. She didn't even want to get up to go do her business.
My dog seems to frequently surprise me with her empathy and understanding of situations and makes me laugh at times. Recently we were shopping in a store that allows dogs and she got up on her hind legs when she smelled those giant bones they sell for much bigger dogs. In her dreams!
I'm also lucky because I don't suffer from depression or seasonal depression, though I sometimes wonder if I would if I lived in a less sunny place. Sunlight is the remedy for the seasonal depression and these days you can even buy machines that will expose you to the right light rays to lift your spirits.
Of course, chasing the dark and gloom away is one of the reasons we "light up" with holiday lights.
I find that if a negative mood comes upon me that the best thing to do is get busy. Talk a walk or exercise in some way. At this time of the year there are always casual opportunities for volunteer work such as serving meals to the homeless. Getting outside yourself and your own problems is often about giving to others in some way. A few years ago I joined a pop up caroling group. We didn't practice and we probably didn't know all the words to all the songs but our efforts at an assisted living building not far away were much appreciated.
Whatever your spiritual tradition or beliefs, this special time of year calls upon you to be generous in your thoughts of others, and to feel your empathy to the fullest.
I wish you the best!
