Lynne S. Gots, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Seasonal Affective Disorder Is Nothing to Ho, Ho, Ho About
By Lynne Gots, posted on December 16th, 2013.
It’s that time of year again. No, I don’t mean the holidays, although their approach certainly can make you want to crawl into a dark cave to escape the strains of White Christmas and the twinkling lights reminding you of how behind you are with your preparations.
I’m talking about the winter blues.
Lots of us go to work before sunrise, sit all day in a windowless office, and drive home after sunset, never seeing daylight. The hours of prolonged darkness can wear on you and even—for those individuals whose biological clocks make them susceptible—cause what’s known as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). It most commonly occurs in late fall and early winter and diminishes as the days grow longer, but SAD also can affect some people in spring and summer, causing agitation and anxiety rather than the lethargy typical of winter SAD.
Symptoms of winter SAD, like other forms of depression, include a loss of interest in normally pleasurable activities, irritability, withdrawal, lowered motivation and drive, changes in appetite (either overeating and carbohydrate cravings or loss of appetite) and sleep patterns (either excessive sleeping or insomnia), muscle tension and pain, feelings of heaviness in the limbs, lack of energy, poor concentration, and negative thinking.
Winter SAD is most prevalent at Northern latitudes and among women. Its causes are still speculative, with hypotheses suggesting imbalances in melatonin, circadian rhythms, and serotonin.
As with all neurobiological conditions, brain chemistry may make the symptoms unavoidable. But how we respond—our behavior and thoughts—can mitigate the distress we experience.
For instance, if you focus on how tired you feel in the morning, you’re likely to pull the covers over your head and give into the urge to hibernate. But if you can manage instead to drag yourself out of bed and take a brisk walk outside, you’ll feel more energetic and motivated for the rest of the day.
One of the best antidotes to a depressed mood is to engage in a variety of pleasant or competence-inspiring activities. Go out for a leisurely meal with friends or family, or stay in and cook one to share. Play with a pet. Get some exercise. Learn a new language. Practice a musical instrument. Listen to music. Solve a crossword puzzle. Knit a sweater. Peruse Pinterest or Houzz to get ideas for a redecorating project. Clean out a closet. Visit a museum. Go to a movie or play. You may need to adjust your activities to accommodate the weather, but you can still find plenty to occupy you.
Modifiying your attitude is another way to boost your mood. Instead of focusing on the shortened days and punishing wind chills, find enjoyment in a steamy mug of hot chocolate or a crackling fire. Try to accept the moment instead of wishing for it to be different.
Maybe as a consequence of my regular mindfulness meditation practice (which helps cultivate acceptance), I haven’t dreaded the advent of winter as much this year as in the past. But I do sometimes catch myself slipping into old thinking habits, as I did one day at my last CSA pickup of the season. Inundated with apples, I felt the negative thoughts starting to build: “I don’t like apples very much. I wish it were still summer. I want peaches. I’m sick of apples. I want watermelon.”
You don’t need to sell me on the merits of an apple a day. But it wouldn’t be my snack of choice, except as an occasional vehicle for peanut butter. On the other hand, apples in dessert form—gussied up with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with a crust or a crumble, and served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream—are an entirely different story. So I decided to adjust my attitude and stop complaining.
You know the old saw about what to do when life gives you lemons? Well, the season was giving me apples.
So I made apple pies.
Tags: acceptance, mindfulness, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder
Posted in Acceptance and Mindfulness, Depression |
One Common but Often Hidden Cause of Procrastination
By Lynne Gots, posted on November 10th, 2013.
As I said in my last post, procrastination isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem. It can result from many factors, but laziness usually isn’t one of them.
In fact, many highly conscientious, driven, guilt-ridden, achievement-oriented people are procrastinators. They may spend countless hours plodding away on a project or building up to it without actually getting started. They’re not averse to hard work.
They’re perfectionists.
If you set unrelenting, high standards for yourself and never feel satisfied with your accomplishments, you may be what I call a “problem perfectionist.” You might think the label doesn’t apply to you because your extreme efforts don’t achieve the results you want so badly. You may even think of yourself as an underachiever.
But perfectionism isn’t about actually attaining perfection. It has much more to do with how you behave in your quest towards your goals than in the product of your efforts.
Problem perfectionists often take extreme measures to avoid failure, risk, and uncertainty about their performance. And that’s where procrastination plays a role.
Putting off starting a difficult project and waiting until the time feels “right” to undertake a big task are two common ways problem perfectionists manage their anxiety about performance. Unfortunately, these tactics usually backfire, leading to paralyzing stress when deadlines approach.
You’d think problem perfectionists would learn that putting off challenging tasks hinders their performance. After all, when you’re anxious and short on time, you can’t possibly do your best. But problem perfectionists become chronic procrastinators due to a phenomenon called “self-handicapping.” Procrastination helps them rationalize a mediocre work product (“I would have done better if I’d had more time.”) and save face with themselves and others.
If this sounds like you, consider trying a different tactic the next time you find yourself putting off a project. First, decide if the task warrants an A+ effort (and be honest with yourself in assessing its degree of importance). If you think an 85% would suffice, set that as your goal before you even start instead of sabotaging yourself by procrastinating. In the end,you’ll end up with the same result—possibly a better one, even—minus the emotional costs.
Posted in Perfectionism, procrastination |
Do You Think Laziness Causes Procrastination?
By Lynne Gots, posted on September 19th, 2013.
If you struggle with procrastination, you’ve probably tried to figure out why you put off doing things. And when you get really fed up, you probably berate yourself for being “lazy.”
Well, take heart. People procrastinate for many reasons but laziness is rarely one of them.
First let’s look at what being “lazy” really means. A Google search of the word lazy generates synonyms such as “idle,” “slothful,” “shiftless, “indolent,” “sluggish,” and “inactive.” Laziness is defined as “resistant to work or exertion.” All of these descriptions convey a very negative—and when invoked to explain procrastination—inaccurate impression of what’s really going on inside a procrastinator’s head.
Sure, we all have lazy days when we don’t feel like doing much and don’t get much done. And from the outside, a chronic procrastinator’s wheel spinning might look like sloth, indifference, or irresponsibility. But scratch the surface and you’ll find a far more complex picture.
Does just thinking about tackling a big project make your head spin? If so, you might procrastinate because organization is a challenge for you. You may find it hard to break a large assignment into smaller, more manageable steps. So you avoid getting started because you don’t even know where to begin.
Do you typically underestimate how long it will take to complete a task? If you have problems managing your time, you might put off a project because you fool yourself into believing you’ll have ample room in your schedule to get it done. Then, when the deadline looms and you can’t avoid it any longer, you panic.
Do you drag your feet on logging expenses, documenting billable hours, writing reports, and paying bills but love going after new business or coming up with innovative, big picture ideas? You might thrive on stimulation and procrastinate because you have trouble following through with boring, routine tasks.
Poor organizational skills, difficulties with time management, and problems with attention all can cause procrastination. There’s also another very common, but often unrecognized, reason behind procrastination in people who’d never be considered lazy. I’ll tell you about it in my next post.
Tags: procrastination
Posted in procrastination |
