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The Guru Steps in to fight the Winter Blues.
February 28th, 2005
By Christopher Herz
The Health Guru / eCureMe LIFE
Love will keep us together.
Perhaps it will, but what will keep us warm and mentally fit in
these winter months?
Well, warmth you’re on your own, but to fight off those
winter blues, the Guru has a little something for you.
Here in Los Angeles, the rest of the country has finally caught up to us
with its constant downpours and cold weather. It is the first winter
that has lasted more than a week in longer than your Guru can remember.
While listening to Billie Holiday in the rain is indeed magical, after
awhile, I’ve noticed that there is a distinct sadness that creeps
in as the coldness and rain persist.
Usually, the sun breaks and the hot tar and cement of the street are
cleaned of their stench and the closest thing to nature sweeps over the
city of Angels.
So your Guru, never one to sit in a state of stillness, stands up with
his people to fight the Winter Time Blues.
First of all, the colors that the world usually holds for you are covered
in either blankets of snow or puddles of rain. Your ability to go outside
is hampered and you are left looking at the same four walls for months on
end. Why not paint? Try painting the trim in your bathroom or kitchen a
bright color to add color to your life. It will also give you something to
do, something physical, where you can actually see the color coming back
into your lives.
Now, in the spring and summer time, your Guru knows it’s easy to get
out of bed early in the morning and head to the gym or go out on your run,
but with Uncle Winter hanging by the door, you just curl back into bed and
snuggle up with your dreams of warmer times. While you may not be able to
go to the gym, make sure you are still doing some form of exercise or
stretching during these months. A home work out of push up, sit ups
(Stick those feet under the couch and put a pillow under you booty) and
stretching constantly will keep your blood flowing, thus ensuring an
endorphin rush and a little something extra to keep your insides warms
and your gas bill lower.
Speaking of such, if you sleep with the heater on, you’re more than
likely to wake up with a dry throat, which will lead to less motivation to
start your day o a positive note in the morning. A change from cool to
warm will show your mind that things do get better and provide a nice
challenge to your morning.
What else Guru? What else can I do to keep from loosing my mind in the
winter time?
Well, your Guru knows that with the cold weather, you need to start adding
a little more fat to your meals. Make sure you do this in the morning and
afternoons, and not before you go to bed. If you eat a burger late at
night, that next morning when Jack Frost is begging you to let him in
because he can’t handle the cold outside, there’s now way
you’re going on a run to take it off.
Gaining weight in the colder months can lead to a deep depression, which
in turn leads to even more eating. Check the research on Cortisol hormones.
These are actually hormones in your body that crave fatty foods when you
become depressed. Take a look under those big sweaters to make sure
everything is OK.
As I told you last week, getting away from the television is crucial.
Seeing fantasy worlds of how people are living only causes your backside
to swell and your heart to ache. When’s the last time you read a
book? Your Guru recommends heading down to the bookstore and picking out
a novel you can lose yourself in. "Life of Pi," By Yan Martel is
an amazing winter book and one that will leave you with a new sense of
understanding of the value of life. Bye bye little sad guys and girls.
Reading stimulates your imagination and allows your physical senses to
take a break for a moment.
Don’t lay down again. After you’ve gotten up and told yourself
you’re ready to start your day, don’t get back into bed.
The clutches of the great slumber god will never let you go. Laying down
makes your brain inactive - you need your mind to be banging away at
life if you are to make it out of the blues.
This off course means that you need to curb your alcohol consumption during
these months. That’s not cough medicine you’re swilling down
every night. Feeling the stress that comes wit the cold? The dirty clothes,
the traffic, the increased time it takes to get place, the increase in prices,
depleted patience levels of your peers - getting plastered after all of
that just puts your stress away for another day instead of dealing with it.
Increase your meditation sessions to two a day - Once when you wake
and once before you sleep. Hopefully your subconscious will take over
during your slumber and wash that depression away with the next down poor.
Start planning something to do when the Spring breaks. Find out a vacation
spot or something that needs to be done when the weather is warm and start
planning for it. Your mind will go to a warmer place and you’ll be
able to feel like your life is full of events. If you do this, there will be
less time for depression.
Finally, as always, your Guru wants you to realize how lucky you are just to
have the basic necessities of life. What about those who are trying to stay
dry without a home, food or job? What about children laid up in the hospital
or Elderly folks who are sitting by the window watching the rain fall?
Donating your time, even a little of it, to help those who cannot help
themselves will make you feel more like Santa and less like another Rain
Deer pulling the sled back to the North Pole after a long winter’s
work.
Keep moving and don’t be blue.
Peace.
H.G.
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