thoughtful thursdays: on seasons.

i'd like to write these thoughtful posts when i'm feeling, um, thoughtful.  like today.

i'm using the extraordinary photographs of irene suchocki as the eye candy surrounding my thoughts today.  think it adds just a spot of whimsy to the post ;)

the last couple of weeks have been a tad difficult for me.  not that anything crazy happened in my personal or professional life during this time.  in fact, quite the opposite.  with a few exceptions, all has been business as usual.

 

so when i realized i was in a slump, i started to really think about why.  making myself aware is always step one.  that’s when you notice the little triggers that normally go unnoticed.

why am i in a bad mood?  why do i feel like there’s a black rain cloud over my head?  the bf told me everyone was allowed to be in a bad mood once in awhile, and i should take my time to get out of it (isn't he great?).  but his kind words made me want out of it all the more, for the both of us.    

 

i would raise suggestions to myself: is it stress at work?  well, it hasn't been the best, but not the real problem, etc.  

 

what i kept coming back to was the time of year.  i thought - well that can't be it.  the issue must be something bigger than that.

 

but then i let myself think it through. winter has been dragging on (and on and on) for several months now.  it's finally the time when the weather is turning here, and yet somehow i get gloomier now than i did in january?  maybe i wasn't kidding on tuesday when i said i'd reached my breaking point!

 

one's surroundings (including weather) certainly affect mood.  i also always seem to get sick when the seasons change (knock on wood, hasn't happened this year yet!).

 

what i've realized is that the transition in seasons also leads to a transition within myself.  particularly winter to spring, when all we want is a little bit of sunshine and new growth.  apparently, my body subconsciously responds to this.  i get a little shaken up by this transition, and i have to bring myself back to "normal." 

 

have you ever noticed how just the act of realizing what’s bothering you lifts some of the weight?  because now you can work toward a solution.  that's what happened to me here. 

 

so much so that when i received a few pieces of bad news recently, i was actually able to handle them better than the usual me.  awareness breeds understanding and perspective.  

so i am able to report today that i am in a good place.  i hope you are too.  and if not, i hope you can take a step back and think through what's really bothering you, so you can get to that good place soon. 

xo. di.  

*all images via is photography's etsy shop