From a spiritual perspective, it’s been said, you are really the vast, deep, limitless sky, and your emotions are really just the clouds that come and go across that background. Sometimes they frame the sun and create a beautiful panorama, or a spectacular sunset. Sometimes they seem to block the sun and you can feel sad and gloomy. But then the wind blows, air currents shift and suddenly you are your true radiant self again…
As we move toward winter in the Northern hemisphere, we enter a time of challenging skies, often gray and cloudy, no longer balanced by the lush green of trees and plants. And many people find it difficult to remember the sun, remember the gentle air of spring, the brilliance of summer and most especially, their own inner light. They fall into seasonal sadness, also known as SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder. And it gets really hard to maintain a spiritual view on it all…
If you are one of the many people who reacts to the change in light and change in seasons with lowered vitality, fatigue or depression, you’re not alone and you are not without resources. Certainly there is light therapy – spending some time each day sitting in front of bright full-spectrum light to mimic sunlight, but there is more that you can do to help your system rebalance and thrive through this challenging time of year.
It is no coincidence that especially in the north, where SAD is so much more prevalent, it hits us at the same time as our vitamin D levels are decreasing from lack of sun exposure. So the first thing I recommend is to check your vitamin D levels and be sure that you are taking adequate vitamin D to keep them in an optimal range (25-OH vitamin D levels of of 50-70). As the sunlight decreases, our levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin often seem to decrease as well, so increasing intake of the amino acid tryptophan which is the building block the body uses to manufacture serotonin can be extremely helpful. Increasing your intake of the B complex vitamins, magnesium, fish oils, and herbs that support the adrenal system also are very supportive.
In my work with people challenged by depression or anxiety or malaise I find that improving the diet and working with specific supplementation can be very helpful. I also find that homeopathic remedies and flower essences can make a dramatic difference in our moods. But perhaps the most effective way to balance mood is to address it on all levels; physical, emotional and spiritual. EFT, guided imagery, meditation and other energy techniques that I use can be profoundly supportive of imbalances in our moods.
Using my guided imagery meditations “Opening and Completing Your Day” can help you transform the darkest day. Exploring and releasing energetic imbalances and all the old stuff we carry with us – including our expectation that this time of year is dark and difficult – can shift our experiences and bring us back to our own inner light and joy. And help us remember that we are always the sky, and our moods are just the ever changing weather…
I am available for private consultations in person or by phone if you would like to explore ways in which you can find joy and balance even in November!
Yours in peace and light,
Carol
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