Living Well: Keep it light this winter

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

By Teresa Griswold

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-In Jackson, where winter lasts six months or longer, keeping things light can help us stay happy, fit and connected through the dark and dreary times.

Natural daylight has healing properties that are vital to our state of wellbeing. So spending plenty of time outdoors walking, skiing, and playing during daylight hours can counteract the downside of long winter nights.

Keeping the indoor environment refreshing will help brighten spirits as well. According to Heather Smith, owner of Inspiring Spaces Feng Shui based in Jackson, you can enhance light within your space by adding a mirror or reflective material. Smith also recommends embracing the inward time of winter by bringing in vibrant colors and softer, cozier textures. She said some people do this naturally, adding pillows, throws and rugs for coziness during the colder months.

But for some, seasonal depression is more than just a tinge of winter blues. Being exposed to fewer hours of sunlight triggers feelings of depression and fatigue. It is a medical condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and the symptoms are the same as depression and including but not limited to – changes in mood, feeling sad or irritable, and social withdrawal, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

For those who suffer from this mood disorder, the dark months of winter are especially difficult. A doctor’s supervision is important and often light therapy also known as phototherapy is prescribed. It involves the use of a special light that simulates daylight. HappyLights – which are a sunshine supplement – are sold at the Jackson Whole Grocer. Considered sunshine therapy, the lights deliver spectrally balanced and measured therapeutic light to help your body stay in balance and counteract SAD, according to Jessa Smout, the natural care and tonic bar manager at the store.

“In the winter, we’re covered up, and we don’t get the recommended amount of daily vitamin D from the sun’s rays,” she said. In fact, Dr. Mimi Guarneri who spoke at the Teton Wellness Festival earlier this month said in order to get the amount of vitamin D our bodies need from the sun, we would have to be in the sun naked for 20 minutes at high noon. Smout recommends taking a vitamin D-3 supplement, which she said really helps with mood swings and is an affordable and effective recommendation to help with SAD.

With darkness affecting so many of us from feelings of mild melancholy to SAD, it is no wonder winter holiday traditions from around the world incorporate celebrations of light and enlightenment. Yule logs, bonfires, lighted trees, candles, luminarias, and fireworks are among the customs and traditions threaded through Christmas, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year, Kwanza, Diwali and Winter Solstice.
There’s no doubt it is a holy time of year – a time to slow down and reflect on the mystery and the miraculous from every day life to the deeper calling of faith.

During fall and winter, I enjoy connecting with loved ones in the muted light of the early evenings, lighting lots of candles in lieu of electric lights and serving a casual, healthy meal like garam masala over brown jasmine rice. Good conversation, a shared meal, and candle lit tables aren’t just for couples. The whole family will enjoy this ritual. JHW

Learn how color, lighting, artwork and simplifying your space can help you thrive during winter with Smith’s Feng Shui for Winter class, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. at Wild Hands, 265 W. Pearl St. $15.
hasmith@hotmail.com.

COURTESY PHOTO
Winter holiday traditions feature celebrations of light.

PERMALINK:
Living Well: Keep it light this winter | Planet JH News Article: Living Well

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