February is the Longest Month

I know that February has the smallest number of days, but it seems to drag on and on, at least for me. The time between the end of football season and the time when the weather starts to warm up can absolutely seem like an eternity. I am sure part of the reason I have been having difficulty writing lately has been due to the month.

You see here in the Midwest, February is the coldest month of the year behind January. But I always have a golf trip to which I am looking forward in January which breaks up the month. I have no such luxury in February and without any vacation, I often find myself going to work in the dark and going home in the dark as well. That can make for a really brutal four weeks.

Even though I don't think that I have seasonal depression, there are many who do notice a marked change in mood during the winter months. Some of the other symptoms that can occur include increased appetite and weight gain, desire to sleep more, inability to concentrate in the afternoons, social withdrawal, and lack of interest in work or other activities.

Now, I know that I don't have it that bad. I do notice that I am a little more tired and feel burned out every winter more so than during the summer. I also have to watch my weight since I do have a tendency to want to eat more. It is almost like I am getting ready to hibernate. But at least I don't think I have a full case of seasonal affective disorder.

One of the things that helps me get through the winter is to break up the cold months with a little trip. It doesn't have to cost a lot, but I can assure you that having something to look forward to helps make the winter travel by a lot faster while waiting for golf season.

In addition to my golf trip in January, some of the things that my wife and I have done in the past is to visit family in Florida over Thanksgiving, go on work-related conferences in February, and not buy any Christmas presents and take a short cruise instead. These trips to sunny locations and the ability to leave the cold and snow is always a welcome break. As I get older, I am beginning to appreciate why older individuals will often spend the winter in Florida.

Another way to help with the winter blues is to use light therapy. There is some evidence to suggest that seasonal depression is impacted by the decreased amounts of sunlight during the winter months. It makes intuitive sense to me. I have never used light therapy myself, but have considered it from time to time wondering if it would help with feelings of burn out. It would be an interesting experiment to see if a business could get more productivity out of its workers by using light therapy during break times. Just a thought.

So, what it is that you do to help break up the winter months between Christmas and spring?