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I've always struggled with the seasonal depressive effect. Not "Seasonal Affective Disorder" itself in a clinical sense, I don't want to downplay the seriousness of true mental health challenges. But the lite-version of that? Definitely.
What comes to mind is in high school, trudging out of the gym, exhausted from hours of wrestling practice. Bruised, overwhelmed, and all but staggering out into the night to find my ride. Trying to hold it together against all the competing priorities of school, standardized tests, puberty, college, wrestling tournaments, social connections...I needed all the energy I could get, and the rain wasn't helping.
And now we're entering the long dark tunnel of late Fall and Winter. Even though I'm older now, I still struggle with it.
But one of my superpowers has always been toughness, discipline, perseverance, and routine. I can outlast things. It's what got me through wrestling practices in high school, and running the Seattle Marathon in college. It even got me through a Physics Major when I wasn't any good at Physics (all the classes were torture).
I can tell you as well, one thing I know about myself, in any athletic competition the longer an event lasts the better my chances are of winning it.
I would not recommend my method of "buckle down and bear it" though. There are some things I would recommend, but definitely not others. For example, I would still recommend leaning on a fitness routine. You can't get through the long dark just sitting on your hands and watching the seconds tick by. You have to get somewhere with lights on and be around people. Yes the holidays and work can make that more difficult, but realistically there's nowhere better to be than the gym. You'll move around, be in the real world, get warm from the inside out, and see other people - not just blue light on a screen showing you imaginary lives somewhere else.
I would not recommend: Carrying all that heaviness alone and spacing out in front of Netflix for hours to avoid it. That strategy works for 2 hours (barely), but over 6 months will take you down.
Summer is the time when people loosen up the workout routine. Fall an ideal time to sharpen it again. The holidays have a lot of desserts, yes, but also lots of protein. There are rainy cold days, but also what else are you going to do when it's 4:30 and already dark? Come into the gym! And you'd be surprised at how long your body temperature stays elevated post-workout (Google says: 30mins up to 2hrs).
If "fitness" itself isn't enough of a goal for you, come in and chat with myself or another coach. We can help with that. Setting goals is our bread and butter. Maybe it's something strength oriented like: "Put 20lbs on my backsquat". But it could also be a process-based goal: "Workout 4 days a week, get 40grams of protein at breakfast, and stay out of the cookie aisle at Thriftway."
If you're not a member yet, this is the perfect time to start don't let the holiday stereotypes tell you different. And if you're currently a member but struggling to find the time, just start by scheduling one class, then grab one of us to chat about a plan.
To recap, I would tell my 14yr old self: Keep working out and staying active with your friends, but drop the "grin and bear it, alone" mentality. Text someone "I'm working out at noon, you coming?" You don't have to put up with pain until June, you just need a good space to move, break the spell, and connect back with your health and fitness.
Best,
Josh