Solutions to Winter-Induced Anxiety: Our Personal Experiences

As winter descends, and sunlight becomes a rare commodity, have you ever wondered why you start to feel unusually tired, low on energy, and anxious? Imagine if you could tackle these seasonal mood changes head-on, using simple yet effective techniques. Through our personal journeys, let Shennelle and I walk you through how to navigate the rough winter terrains of mental health. We delve into everything from exercise to meditation and breathing exercises, and I even share about my personal encounter with anxiety and how yoga and meditation have become my lifeline. This isn't just about us though; we want to inspire you to find what works best for you and make mental health a priority this winter.

We've been on an incredible journey this past year, and none of it would have been possible without you, our dedicated listeners. We've shared our raw and real life stories, and we hope that through them, we've left a lasting impact on your lives. As we close out the year and gear up for 2024, we want to express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support. Exciting times lie ahead, and we can’t wait to bring you more insightful and impactful episodes. We promise, we're just getting started. So, stay tuned, stay connected, and above all, keep it real with us.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Well, hello to my lovely listeners, welcome to another episode of Be Real with Lap Podcast. How are we doing? How was your weekend? You know it's getting really cool now and winter is here and I just think we're going to have a long one. But anyways, thank you for joining me here today and today's episode. We're just going to jump right into it, guys. So we want to talk about.

Speaker 1: 0:34

I want to talk to you about it's basically the mood change at this time of year, because I've talked to several people, you know, both coworkers and acquaintances, friends, and it's the same talk feeling tired. Some say feeling really tired, some say I feel like shit, some say, you know, I feel off, and I think, with the majority of everybody, it's dark at 4.30, basically gets dark at 4.30, and you hear about the drive home and stuff like that, and you know. And then you hear about the Christmas gifts, you know, going shopping and all Well, for me I don't really. I don't celebrate Christmas to that extent, I don't really believe in this Christmas whole thing. You know, I just think it's a way of putting more money back, you know, into the big box stores, the big owners, and spending all this money and it's just it's for one day. I just, I really just don't believe in any Christmas holidays. Now, what we're talking about is really it's a combination, it kind of ties into it, but mainly it's about your mood, and everybody has different moods. You know, your mood really is something that it can just throw off your whole entire day, and so when it is cold and it's dark at an early time, it triggers something.

Speaker 1: 2:34

You know, it triggers something in the brain and I'm sure a lot of you out there have read upon it about the melatonin. And you know, when it's this time of year it gets really dark and you feel sleepy, you feel tired and you feel moody. How are you really handling that? What do you do? You know, some of us, some people, they exercise, some do nothing, they just, they go to work, they go home and they look after their kids, they make supper and then it's it's time to go to bed. One of my co-workers says when I leave here I don't have any motivation to even want to go to the mall. You know, if I even want to treat myself to something, I just want to go home Because it feels like it's 10 o'clock, you know. So that's where you produce more of. I think it's called melatonin or something like that. You know where it triggers that and you just feel sleep because we're not getting the sunshine right. And exercise works, it does good. But I'm gonna be real, you coming from work and you're tired and it's dark Sometimes you don't, you're not motivated to go and exercise, you know. Or even me going on my stationary bike that I so love, right, it's just, it's just your mood and how you feel. But I can tell you, but really and truly exercise, it really helps.

Speaker 1: 4:02

Now, some like today, I think I'm sort of my saying today, last week, all of a sudden, I Just felt a sense of a rush, like an anxiety rush, and it was like they felt off, like I just I felt off. You know, I woke up, well, got myself ready to go to work, took my time, drive into work and everything, and then around Maybe ten ish, I just started to feel really anxious. You know, and it's, it's every. Everybody experience it. You know, in a different way, when it comes to winter and and I don't like the winter months I think it's so difficult, you know your body's fighting to stay warm, you know, among other things, and so you know I try to fight that feeling and continue to, you know, do my work and stuff like that, and do what I'm supposed to do. But I couldn't wait for the day to end, just to get home when I start getting really dark. By the time I leave, it's like 10 o'clock at night, it's like 10 o'clock and that's where the anxiety you feel like your day is done. You know, you feel like there's not enough time in the day because I'm leaving work. It's. Look at the time and it's. It's dark outside, you know, and you're driving home and the traffic is horrendous. It's horrendous that the traffic it's terrible. You know the highway is packed and then you're trying to change lane and you know the lights are so bright sometimes you ever trying to change lane, the lights are so bright and you swear that you're gonna, you're gonna change the lane at the wrong time and the car is gonna hit you or something. That that's the way I felt that day. And so you know, I think for us as human beings, we're not perfect and we have to just try to this is where we live and Try to cope with it.

Speaker 1: 6:13

Exercise, you know, do meditation. Meditation is very good. The yoga that I do. It's really. It really helps. It's really good. Even if you don't want to go on any stationery bike if you own one or even if you don't want to go to the gym, you can go into your room or any room and just meditate, do some breathing exercises, even for five to ten minutes or five to eight minutes, and just breathe, turn off the lights like dim your lights or turn off your lights or put on one of those Nightlight or something, just so the room can be kind of low really low light or lamp and and breathe, you know, and just Lie on your back and just take deep breath in and just try to relax and to be calm. Literally can hear your heartbeat. You know it's really healthy and it's really good.

Speaker 1: 7:13

So those are some of the things that you can do in to help to de-stress, because we are living in a stressful time. You know, and I don't know it's. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming and you just got to deal with it and just accept it for what it is and change the way you look at it, change your outlook at how you look at certain things and just try to carry on and Be good to yourself in the process, because you know, nothing in life comes easy. And we go to work and we get up, you know we, we look forward to the day and you know, and we go to work and we do our best and we work hard. And While your work, your brain is still going into overtime because you're thinking about the other goals that you set outside of your work and how you're gonna achieve this.

Speaker 1: 8:05

And just because you have a full-time job or whatever, that doesn't mean you don't have goals, other goals. That doesn't mean you don't have your own passion in your personal life, things that you want to achieve, right. So all these things, and it's cold outside. You don't feel like going out because it's too cold. You know, like last Monday it was cold, it's very cold and the wind Right. So sometimes that takes away your motivation, because you got to put the coat on, you got to warm the car for about 20 minutes and and before you drive out, and you know, and you have on all these layers and your neck hurts because everything is heavy, right. So it's a lot this time of year it's a lot.

Speaker 1: 8:48

But I'm here to try to motivate you all out there that, no matter how cold it gets and no matter how hard it seems and no matter how dark it gets, there is a light. There's always a light, always. And we as human beings, we just got to be patient and and we just got to learn to always remember to love ourselves in the whole process and Just relax your mind. I mean, we're not human. We're allowed to feel a little bit stressed, sometimes Not stressed enough to the point where you can't even function, you know on yourself. But you know life it's just life. It is full of stresses. Not all human kind is kind Right. So we just got to carry on and know what we want in life and, you know, shake that mood sometimes because it is what it is. You know it is what it is and there's nothing really you can do about it other than change the way we look at it Right, and the way how I look at it, as much as I can stand it when I look outside and it's 430 and it's dark, you know, I just accept it and know that it is what it is Right and then you take it from there and you put that, that main thing that you're working on, on the plate and that's what you focus on Right.

Speaker 1: 10:17

But I wanted to talk about this because a lot of people suffer from it. A lot of people suffer from feeling this way at winter Time, and you can't even help yourself sometimes, you know, sometimes your anxiety like me, my anxiety just creeped up, I don't even know where. I just felt really anxious, you know, and a lot of people has that it. Some of them have it more, worse than some, right, some of them they don't want to come out of their house. They call in sick at work umpteen times because it's something that is. It's more severe, right, I will, you know, go to work and I did when I, when it happened, I just I went for a walk, I literally went for, like in the building, I just went for a walk and Just try to breathe.

Speaker 1: 11:02

And I went to one of my co-workers and I was telling her how I felt, you know, like this anxiety, all of a sudden, you know, and she gave me a hug. She gave me a hug and she said she feels the same way a lot of times, right? So when you have good people in your corner and when you have Clean-hearted people in you know, around you, or someone that can say something positive, or someone that can say you know, I feel the same way and, yes, I've experienced that, so I know how you feel. You know it helps. Nothing major didn't happen to me, it's just that anxiety just came up right, because, yeah, I do have that anxiety, I do have it right, and it came worse when I, when my mom passed away, right, it like it just doubled up Right, so, um, but you know, I worked on that and learned to keep it under control and stuff like that, and I, I think I did pretty good, but the other day it was just, it just came on and you know that my co-worker, she, you know, she said something positive and she, she understands, because she goes through the same thing at times. And it's nice to know that you, someone, can relate to how you're feeling Right, because some people they do feel it but they don't admit it, they just like to see you in it right, and then they're suffering the enclosed doors and then you have some that can say to you you know what, I know how you feel, and it's the same thing.

Speaker 1: 12:32

She shared with me the darkness outside, you know, not feeling like she, that drive, you know, or feeling anxious. You feel like time is going and you're not. You're not, it's not moving to the stuff that you want to do, like you know. I mean, like you're not getting that stuff done at that time. Right, we have time we do, but that's the the, the Anxiousness of how we feel, because we're not perfect, we're human, you know. So, this time, in your winter time, you know, just surround yourself with positive people, whether it's a friend, whether it's a family member, whether it's some of that, you hardly even know, but from time to time they can share your, your concerns or your thoughts. You know, at times, some is it's even better to share it with a stranger, right, then even family, most of the time, right. So you know, guys, that's my advice to you. You know it's cold now, so just make sure you look after yourself.

Speaker 1: 13:36

For the Christmas holiday that is upon us, or the holidays we're gonna be off, starting next week, starting next week. So we're not gonna be here. We're gonna return on the following I think I made that date, which would be so next week, next week, what am I? What? Where are we? Oh, my goodness, yes, so next we? This is our last week. Okay, so today is the 19th, so we're going Right through and we won't be back until the 9th of January. Okay, we won't be back till the 9th of January, guys. So I was doing things backwards a minute ago, so we're off now until the 9th of January, all right?

Speaker 1: 14:33

So to each and every one you ever, everyone Please enjoy your holidays and stay safe and have fun, and also relax your mind and don't stress about anything, because it's not worth it. Just love yourself, your family, your children, your husband, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, and be safe. Okay, and don't forget, we are on youtube and we have instagram and facebook, and don't forget to subscribe to our channel on youtube and you can also follow us on facebook and instagram. So, guys, once again, we'll see you on the 9th of January. Okay, much love to you all and have a happy new year when it comes.

Speaker 1: 15:21

And Chanel and I thank you so much For joining us throughout the year and listening to all our episodes as we share our real life stories with you. We hope that it motivated. If it's even two person, one person. We hope we made a difference in telling our stories and talking about real life situations in our society. So, once again, thank you again, everyone. We thank you all and nothing but love. We will see you in 2024, looking forward to a lot more interesting episodes. Bye for now, everyone.