How the Seasonal Blues Work

December 9, 2008 · Comments

Blue Every year I get the blues from around Thanksgiving until January 2nd. It’s just as normal to me as saying “Hey, there’s a rainstorm outside.” It’s not really much more than something I contend with.

It’s nothing external, really. It’s a set of thoughts that trigger some kind of experience inside, that triggers some kind of overall feeling that I associate with this time of year. It just happens. I deal with it. And then the next year is here. Truth is, I need this feeling, every bit as much as I need other feelings.

Why? Because it makes me work harder. It makes me think deeper. It makes me try to be a better person. Everything about this time of year is as important to the person you think I am as the smiles and the good will and all the power and passion I bring to things.

Don’t ask me to cheer up. Don’t tell me all the great things going on in my life. Don’t ask me to snap out of it. It’s not for you to fix. No one. It’s just the weather in my head.

LOTS of people go through this in their own way. The only difference is that they don’t have 25,000 friends on Twitter, and they don’t have a passionate stage from which they broadcast everything every day. They usually just deal with it quietly and hope no one notices.

I love you and I love the world and I love what we all have going for us. I’m going to sail the fastest, most powerful pirate ship in the waters in 2009, and I’m going to help as many of you as possible to be captains of your own ships, too.

You’re all the best. I’m okay. Thank you.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Tagged as: , , ,

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Thesis Theme for WordPress

Thesis WordPress theme

Thesis is the search engine optimized WordPress theme of choice for serious online publishers. If you’re a blogger who doesn’t understand a lot of PHP, Thesis will give a ton of functionality without having to alter any code. For the advanced, Thesis has incredible customization possibilities via Thesis hooks.

With so many design options, you can use the template over and over and never have it look like the same site. The theme is robust and flexible enough not only to accommodate a site like ChrisBrogan.com, but also to enable the site to run far more efficiently than it ever has before.

  • Great post... Everyone is going through the same emotions. It is a tough time of year, I feel obligated to be happy, and to spread good cheer to everyone, but in truth I wish I could hibernate.

    Thanks for sharing.
  • I deal with depression and this will be my 1st winter in 3 years. Having lived in MI most of my life the midwinter blues was a common occurrence. Mine would usually hit after the holidays during the lovely months of Jan, Feb, and March.

    Having been in sunny AZ for the last 3 years this was never a problem.

    Will be interesting to see what happens this winter.

    I will do my best to get some sun when I can, get some exercise (thank you Wii), eat somewhat healthy and like you blast my way through these down moods with some work!

    Cheers!
  • Here I thought I was the only one. My blues start around the first of November and usually last until that one odd warm day we always seem to have in January. I try to work through them with a big smile and an "I'm fine." I got tired long ago of hearing "Are you okay?" umpteen times. Thankfully, most of my family and friends are finally starting to get it, and just let me be.
  • You are such an Eeyore. The Brogan Blues we'll cal it.
  • If I didn't know better, I'd think you read my personal blog.

    I have the same issues with the winter. I also find it difficult to want to constantly be blogging when I would rather curl up and disassociate.

    best of luck making it through another season.
  • We love you too Chris. Thanks for helping me to accept my own 'SAD' a little bit more. I tend to be an idealist, always wanting the highs in life, always wanting many other things as well that don't quite 'stay'. A friend recently spoke to one of my struggles by saying "Leif, you are probably never going to change." It was hard to hear, a bit of a shocker, but it was so strong and counter to what most people say (and to what I spend my life trying to change) that it was actually strangely liberating. I cried. Wow, I might never change. And yet, I'm still here, still alive, still doing pretty dang good.
  • As I'm going through my own lemons that life has thrown at me recently, this post definitely helps put things into perspective a bit. Thanks Chris.
  • Well said, sir.

    If you do or don't admit it, December is usually a good indicator of your next year. I usually try to use the franticness of the holidays to propel me into the next segment. Others use it to relax and ease into it. To each his own.

    Thank you for what you do. Cheers! To the future! Now where did I put that wooden leg and hook
  • Sir, the level of candor and honesty is inspiring. Seasonal Affective Disorder can definitely be hampering. It's kind of like a hibernation of sorts. Just come back stronger and ready to KILL IT!
  • I share this winter blue-ishness wholeheartedly but, my father taught me how to cope. He recommends help from "Jack" , not alot but enough to take the edge off. Then a subsequent pint of the best winter Guiness Pint ever. Now I'm no doctor but, this has worked for me as well as many friends and colleagues every year. Just remember this method only works for "winter-style" blues, not any old blues you might have. Prolonged use of this method may lead to other blues.
  • So transparent, Chris. That's what we in your Tribe, have come to appreciate about you. Reminds me of the post of you sticking your head in the toilet. LOL!

    It's ironic, this time of year has been challenging for me as well this year as I near the anniversary of the end of my first marriage, and also the death of my mom. Though one happened 11 years ago, and the other 2, the feelings are still sometimes so vivid.

    You give validation to so many people. Bless you this holiday and in the year ahead.
  • I find that as long as I stay out of the stores, I'm ok. Of course that doesn't help our struggling economy much I know, but there are lots of online venues these days. I was in Target yesterday and it just really really depressed me. All that stuff screaming BUY ME BUY ME!!!! I just know myself now and I know what triggers me. Remember it's cyclical like you said. "This too shall pass." Love you Chris!
  • granolajoe
    I started to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder when I was High School and had bad spells every year, becoming very depressed beginning in fall and all the way through winter.

    However, this year I've started taking Vitamin D supplements, and I credit it largely for helping me overcome it. I'm much happier, even though I actually don't have as much time for exercise (no indoor soccer team this time around), and I work hours that only allow me a little bit of light in the morning and I drive home or take the bus in complete darkness when I leave my job.

    Also, I've made a habit of reading as much as possible, watching interesting movies and dedicating some time to wind down at night without getting online. It's honestly made a huge difference.

    Good luck, and I hope you feel better.

    - Joe
  • I get seasonal blues also. I'm always looking forward to spring and summer at this time of year.
  • The reason you have the following you do is because you share the good and the bad. It's unrealistic to be happy 100% of the time (unless your name is Gary Vaynerchuck) and even he has down times I'm sure. Your comment on not fighting this feeling but rather embrassing it is also very powerful. Sad to say but it's good to laugh and it's good to cry.

    I think weather, darkness, constant high expectations, negative news around us...they all affect our mood. We all need an outlet when we have these feelings, great that you are comfortable sharing yours with us.

    Have a couple more beers, read a funny post and continue doing what you do. We can only appreciate the good times if we experience some challanging ones as well. You're more normal than you even think!
  • I go through a similar thing - winter is, for me, a time of reflection. Everything has slowed; the sap in the trees, the birds and squirrels that were so plentiful in summer and fall are cozied up in their dens. The very sunlight is weak and hazy. Everything turns inward and so do I. I consider who I am and who I want to become, where I have been, and where I would like to be. Each winter there is more to think about, but the end result is always the same: after the darkest of the winter days, the sun slowly becomes less hazy and the animals stir within their burrows. I feel my sap thin and begin once again to flow and I turn my open, welcoming face to the spring.
  • I like to think of myself as the creative bears. Bears hibernate in the winter and when the females emerge in the spring there is usually a new cub with her. A new creation. So when the days get short, Instead of calling it the blues, I call it my creative hibernation. I go inside and focus on what creation I want to emerge in the spring. It's my time to reflect, to examine what in my life that I want to keep and what I need to discard. A self evaluation of sorts.

    The shorter days usually bring on those winter blues and I find that if I focus on the fact that the winter solstice is when the sun begins it's return and the days begin to get longer, it helps. By the time of the solstice, I want to have gotten to the point of looking ahead to my life and where I want to go next. Then I get busy.
    I know you are fine, I won't tell you to cheer up or snap out of it. It's a process, embrace it and use it to your benefit Chris. You are delightfully talented and you should be allowed to have a little "down" time. With out it, how would you know how great the up time is? Take care!
  • Yep, I get the seasonal blues in January and February. I live in Chicago and a lot of us have the winter blues by the end of January (not to mention we just want to see the sun one more time before we die....) Great post, especially the don't tell me to cheer up part. I wrote on depression and touched on the seasonal blues last week.
  • Having such a large following has provided you with a wonderful opportunity to talk about something that so many are embarassed to discuss. SAD is real and many, many people suffer from it. Takes courage to confront one's demons and even more to do so publically.
  • I don't know what the opposite of Seasonal Affective Disorder is (which I really believe is something distinct from the holiday blues), but I have this opposite thing. Having grown up in New England, with its prolonged gray months and cold wet days, I am now in Southern California, where it is sunny all the friggin' time. It wears me down. What I would do for a dose of cold grayness, a biting wind out of the north and an excuse to -- and here's the rub -- go inside, watch a movie covered up with a blanket with the kids on the couch, put on a warm sweater, have some hot tea or warm cocoa or steaming bowl of soup. Yes, I understand the whole "grass is greener" concept, but my struggle is that I'm a New Englander at heart, and with my loving family firmly rooted here in SoCal, I'm forever disconnected from my roots. Oh, and try gettng excited putting up Christmas lights when you're sweating on the ladder in 85 degree heat. Now, that depresses me!
  • LIndaONeill
    Know exactly where you are coming from the "blues" is good for reflection too...as you put it for deep thought...which generally is what this time of year is about...not a sad, bad mood...but a melancholy time too. Enjoy all I am picking up from you as I follow. You've been a great help and thank you. Hope to be able to cross paths at some point...have wonerful season...no matter the blues...
  • I hear ya.

    One tip I have found useful in the winter is to get out at lunch time (with no sun glasses) and get some good exposure to sun (or at least natural light). There is something about the sunlight affect on the pinneal gland that is supposed to alleviate the seasonal affective disorder stuff.
  • Ya know, I think it would be ok if you just hung out with this feeling and didn't necessarily use it to become better, stronger, and faster. A wise man once said, "Feelings are just very heavy handed thoughts." Can you hear what the blues are thinking? As you always say, "Listen."
  • You might want to check out a light box - just search on "light therapy" and consider one of the strong (10,000 lux) light boxes. I use it for "Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome" - basically to reset my clock from being a night owl - but it is commonly prescribed for SAD. I've been using it for a few weeks and have noticed a change in mood (improved) and circadian rhythm (advanced). And I am a total cynic!
  • This is the first year I've pieced together that I struggle through December every year. Good to know I'm not the only one.
  • @Matthew Grant - I really think you're one of the most interesting guys I have met. 2008 wouldn't have been the same without you, minister.
  • If we all had the capacity to share our blue times like you, we would sail through them much more smoothly. It's obvious that you are, in fact, fine.
    Thanks for all you do
  • Having weathered 61 Holiday seasons, I can say that they bring with them a sense of loss, loneliness, and something-is-not-rightness along with their cheer and good tidings. It's different from Seasonal Affective Disorder. It's centered around the holiday season, not just the winter season.

    As Chris says, it's a good time for self-evaluation, deep thinking, and getting your ship in order for the journeys of the new year.
  • Chris - i agree with you about embracing the feeling, which you're def not alone in having. for me, things lighten up - literally - at Winter Solstice (Dec 21) when it starts to be light a minute longer every day. something about that is very comforting to me, even though it takes a couple of months to be really noticeable.

    I'm wondering what changes for you on January 2nd?
  • Enjoyed your post. Very open and honest. And I go through much of the same thing so I can relate. Thanks for sharing - Colleen
  • @cjlambre
    Chris, thanks for yet again candidly sharing yourself with rest of us. And not, as you say the smiles and good will and power and passion, but all sides of you.

    I get the seasonal blues every year as well. Sometimes worse than others. I don't think I ever considered it the same way you have, that I need to feel this way to prepare me for the next year. Maybe I'll try that this winter, accept it instead of suppress it.

    Take care, and hope 2009 is an excellent year for you, pirates and all.
  • Chris - seasonal blues are a drag. But it's really interesting - your comment on having uber large networks and being candid about your feelings/emotions/etc. Howard Stern did this on radio in the 80's and 90's and still today. He become real, opening the kimono and letting masses of people see in his head.

    Cool to see someone have that type of power and reach on the web. (and you didn't even need strippers and rock stars to get your audiences attention! ;) Props...
  • I've been feeling like poopie too.
  • Chris you're awesome. Thanks for sharing. I'm with you as I get these spells sometimes as well. Accepting them for what they are and actually appreciating the feeling as something short-term has really made them less...well depressing. Almost a buzz from them. You and Vaynerchuk are great because you share what is real about yourselves. You also keep slogging along when crap isn't going your way. This is inspiring. Takes away my excuses for slacking when times aren't "perfect" for me.
  • Chris, thanks for posting this.

    It's something we all go through this time of the year - as people have mentioned, it sounds very much like Seasonal Affective Disorder (aka SAD - it's an acronym that also doubles as a kind of half-sick psychology joke...ha).

    It's great that you turn this into constructivity, and find strength in it. You're taking a bad thing and using it to your advantage, as you've mentioned. I can't think of a better, more empowering remedy.

    I applaud how brave you are for bringing this up and discussing it. As you can see, you've helped a few people on this thread already. "I thought I was the only one" is no more.
  • Knowing what it is, knowing that it'll pass, being able to write this post... doesn't necessarily help when you're in it.

    Take care of yourself.
  • Sorry to go from the sublime to the ridiculous - just to let you know that the text next to the tick-box for email sign up for the comments just says "a"
  • Chris, sometimes during a storm you have to tie yourself to the rigging and just ride it out - guaranteed the storm will end and you will resume sailing. Captaining pirate ships wouldn't be challenging without the odd storm, makes us appreciate clear days - and helps us learn to tie damn good knots...
  • Hi Chris, at this time of year there's a major downturn in our industry, it happens every year but this year is worse because of current economic conditions around the globe, people have more important things to think about...including Christmas. I always use this period of time to get my head down and work like a demon on my business, catching up with stuff that's been neglected throughout the year and planning forward. I like to spring clean my business in December and this process helps me to get my head straight and lay out a clearly defined path for the new year. At the moment, the sun is shining and I'm upbeat. Interest rates are 2%, the lowest they've been since the 1950's, petrol prices have dropped from £132 per litre to 88 pence per litre, there are discounts of up to 75% in some of our high street shops...hooray!

    John O'Hara
    United Kingdom
  • I do know the feeling...in Finland this time of year...ooooops, no thank you!
    BUT I'm lucky and living now an expat-life in Egypt, more LIGHT, sun - energy/joy of my life!

    I don't have need for blue(s)...except every evening that 'blue moment' before sun's going down...to rise again in the morning...

    Chris, thanks for being open & honest...I respect your 'courage' to write from the perspective: 'I'm not perfect, I'm human' - like we all are!
  • I appreciate your openness, Chris. I'm going through some stuff right now as well, and it's not exactly the same...but it's nice to know I am not alone is a bit of seasonal struggle!
  • Our souls have a yearly cycle that follows the sun. Summer light takes us into the world and Winter darkness takes us into ourselves. Each of us reacts to this cycle in special ways and with special questions. Thanks for sharing your ways and your questions.
    Should we really consider our unique ways and questions a disorder?
    Yes, I often wish my soul was always sunny and filled with sweet declarations about the joys of life. Dwelling in darkness and struggling with questions is hard, often painful, but when I find a glimmer of light within, feel a gentle warmth and realize I found another truth about myself or the world, I celebrate an inner Christmas and the solstice rebirth of my inner sun.
    You are so right about your Christmas question - how do I become a better person. I just gave a talk to the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy on the therapeutic opportunities in Christmas. The two Christmas questions are "Am I worthy?" and "Am I resolved?" Have I been good enough? which asks us to review our past year with objective compassion. Is my will to be better strong and directed? which asks to find courage and devotion in our intentions for the coming year.
    This will be the fifth year I have sent out a daily e-message to my subscribers around the world between December 25 and January 6 - inspiring an inner nativity and an inner epiphany. Inner Christmas is a path of personal development for people of all traditions, cultures and beliefs. You can join the list at www.innerchristmas.com
    Chris, thanks for leading the way into the age of personal transparency.
  • I second what @Rivster said, and think it's awesome you're taking advantage of your large number of followers to spread the word about depression, since most people suffer in silence.

    SAD and clinical depression in general are very real, and the more people who share their stories and emphasize that it's NOT something that can be cured by positive thoughts or well-meaning friends telling you to just count your blessings and be happy, the better. Sure, for some people "winter blues" means feeling blah and down for a few months, but for others, winter blues is part of a very real disease--depression--and the idea that winter will soon be over is no consolation because it's all they can do to get through each hour of every day.

    That said, it definitely makes the white-knuckle experience of battling depression easier when you know there are others out there who share your struggle, and I for one really appreciate and find comfort in this post.
  • Chris, It is obvious that once again you have touched a topic that affects many of us. Living in Central Wisconsin, I have battled SAD for years. Even though I know what it is and use things like moving my office up to the sunniest room in the house and buying a full spectrum light, making sure I eat healthy foods and exercise, it still affects me.

    It's harder to be creative in this time frame and everything that happens around me, I am even more sensitive about. I've been told that I am sensitive in general and I have fought that to get tougher and not let everything get to me but it is a battle.

    I appreciate you sharing this with your Tribe as Cheryl says and you continue to be an inspiration to us when you share this kind of post with so many of us.

    For me it will really help me focus and keep pushing along until spring finally comes...
  • I'm surprised by how many people on the comments list reference Seasonal Affective Disorder. My mother suffers from it and I get the blues during February in Atlanta.

    I know "solutions" aren't what you're looking for, but it might be worth trying one of the light systems that you can buy that compensate for the low light levels people with SAD suffer from. It worked for my mother. It might be worth giving a try.
  • I've dealt with depression for much of my life. I actually feel a bit of a boost emotionally during the holidays, it's after that I hit lows. I recently read this article and found it valuable. It definitely is you who is in control of your feelings...not just the season. It's much easier said than done, but only you can change your mindset.
  • Holidays merge the past and present to create a new beginning create a lot of stress !
  • What a very simple and very cool way to describe what everybody goes through this time of year. I live and breath in the world at www.motivaitontomoe.com - and am always looking for a way to help folks "get it". The weather in your head... that's one I need to pass on to as many folks as possible. Just getting to know you Chris but I'm looking forward to that 2009 journey with you. Let me know if I can help.
  • "the weather in my head,,,,,"
    Without a doubt the best title for a rock album that I have heard in a long time.
  • Chris - You Pirate!
    You are already sailing the fastest - most powerful Pirate Sailing ship. What you have done and do everyday for the rest of us is powerful stuff... Thank You.
    Argghhh - from one of your mate's...
  • Ana Lorena Hart
    I simply adore you. I love your humanity. I wish every boy -and grown man, too- out there could find in you a role model. Embracing the full range of feelings and states of mind as they come is the most precious gift humans can give to themselves. Thank you for sharing your gift with everyone.
    Ana.
  • I get the blues too...can't even blame it on the seasons - they come and go. But I agree with you - it makes me stronger because I have to let myself feel it and then pull myself out...each time I do is a notch in my belt that let's me know I can do it, that I have reserves, deep down energy that I can call on when I really need it.
  • I thought you were talking directly to me, but it appears you've hit a well-visited nerve on many of us. The 'weather in my head' is quite profound ... I now have a descriptive name for these times. Thanks for sharing!
  • I like the pic. Maybe when I am feeling that way I will change my website pic to depict that.

    Keep captaining that pirate ship, you never know, one pirate went around the world and became a "Sir." I will listen to you tomorrow on Duct Tape Marketing Broadcast.
  • Great post. I too have something that just kind of clicks each year around the same time. I have my moments where I snap out of it, but for the most part I'm like you and it just carries out until after the holiday season. Looking forward to 2009 and what you have to offer us readers. Keep up the great work!
  • I think you're right in that everyone gets them, but few talk about it. Ever since I've run my own business (as a composer), I get anxious and list obsessive around the middle of November, with a desire to cram everything I can in before Jan 1. This year I forced myself to stop and look at my productivity and income in 2008 vs 2007, and realized that I'd done more than I thought, and that I should go a little easier on myself. Thanks, Chris, for opening up about your "bad weather" online.
  • Bummer- just lost both of my parents -this holiday season will be-well- a blue Christmas as Elvis says. We are with you Chris-great post and love the honesty.
  • Thanks for the refreshing honesty. I had a hormone-induced bout of depression hit me unexpectedly in November. No big outward or emotional thing was wrong and I have a great life and all that - plus live in Florida (our sunshine is a natural anti-depressant). But I temporarily couldn't feel happiness and joy. My body was running a program I couldn't mentally control. What makes all the difference is awareness of that fact. When you have conscious awareness of what is occurring, as you do in your situation, you just let the blues run their course. And best of all, you see them for the opportunity they are to slow down, reflect, recharge and get in touch with the inside. I wish more people could be opportunistic about depression. Nothing is wasted.
  • Tim
    Hope this time inspires you
  • This is by far one of the best posts I've read all day. It's real and honest...and I am so sick of reading posts that say, "I'm so fantastic, I just made a million dollars doing nothing." In real life these people are delusional. I'm not going to tell you to snap out of it...sometimes it's good to be in that funk for a bit. Been there, done that, will do it again!
  • When this happens you just need to be able to feel it and get through it. Attempts to cheer you up can make you feel "un-heard". One just seeks validation, the ability to just be, as you are, and to just sit with it. understood.
  • I am becoming a fan, fast :) Reading your post I feel encouraged to accept myself with moods, blues and all. Thanks for sharing!
  • explains the mood swings...been in on what we used to call "cabin fever," now officially S.A.D., for too many years. I want to go to Disney. Maybe that would help. Thanks for sharing.
  • Dear Chris-You are such an amazing giver and you have helped me a number of times. As an ex-counselor (there really is no such thing) and knowing full well you said no advice, my advice to you is to check out S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder). My father suffered needlessly for years and he would call me from W.Va. every year with all the symptoms. Until I read your post, I never realized he was enjoying it. Sometimes it does feel good to feel bad. Thanks again, Kathy at Kathy Berman.
  • kvpkrishna
    # Despair and hopelessness
    # Little motivation to complete even simple tasks
    # Low self-esteem and self-confidence
    # Low energy levels, tired and run-down
    # Trouble falling asleep, nightmares, waking and can't fall back asleep
    # Daily life is severely affected
    # Loss of appetite
    # Loss of interest in formerly pleasurable activities
    # Symptoms last longer than two months
    * Changes in sleep habits such as insomnia, early morning awakening, or sleeping too much.
    * Changes in eating habits such as loss of appetite or weight gain.
    * Decreased energy, feeling of fatigue.
    * Restlessness and irritability.
    * Difficulty in concentration, remembering, and making decisions.
    * Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, guilt or worthlessness.
    * Persistent sad, anxious, or empty feelings.
    * Loss of interest in pleasurable activities, such as involvement with loved ones or hobbies.
    * Thoughts of death or suicide.
blog comments powered by Disqus

Previous post:

Next post: