I’ve been on hiatus for a year, and boy what a year it has been! Rollercoaster to say the least. I’ve been doing my best to stay involved with my community, provide support where and when I can, and finding time to relax and find joy.
Thoughts on this extreme winter…
We are in the middle of extreme winter weather here in Northeast Ohio, it is important to check on your loved ones. The extreme cold temperatures are deadly. There are warming centers all around. If you are moved and able please consider donating money or supplies to these wonderful organizations. If you need connected with an organization, feel free to contact Cherry Blossom, we will do our best to connect you.
Some things I have been doing include making sure electronics are always charged, stocking up on non-perishables, limiting time outside. The shoveling can wait! I have also had the opportunity to catch up on some shows with all my time hunkered down. Some have been great, some have been ok, and some have been downright frustrating.
Let’s start with the great shows I watched this winter! Any season of The Traitors is great, but the current celebrity season is running on Peacock and I can’t get enough. The drama, the scheming, Alan Cumming! If you’re not familiar it is a reality competition show where a few are secretly chosen to be the traitors while the rest are faithfuls and each episode they vote to eliminate one person in an effort to vote out a traitor then the traitors “murder” a faithful that night. Definitely check it out. Another great show I watched this winter is My Favorite Murder. This show started as a podcast 10 years ago and is now being aired on Netflix. They combine true crime and comedy, seems like a weird combination but it works.
The OK shows this winter include 11.22.63 on Netflix. This is an older series based on a Stephen King story. It is about time travel with the purpose of saving JFK from being assassinated and stopping the Vietnam war. I enjoyed the concept. I also watched His & Hers on Netflix. It was good, didn’t see the twist at the end, which I always enjoy a good twist! Another OK show I watched this winter was All Her Fault, it was predictable and I’ll leave it at that.
The frustrating show for me this winter was Stranger Things. How can a show be so good then fall flat the last 4 episodes? There are theories why but we may never know. I was totally ready for the “real” finally to drop. I love a good conspiracy theory and the ending of this series has plenty of them. At the end of the day, it was just a poor ending. I mean, how were there no demegorgons or demodogs in the abyss??? How did they defeat the mind flayer in 5 minutes? Ugh, I could go on forever.
I hope you have found ways to fill your time and you are staying safe and warm. Please consider helping others if you can. Check on your neighbors. Check on family. And always- check in on yourself. I’m here if you need someone to talk to or to process with. Winter can be beautiful…but it can also feel long. Dark. Heavy.
The days are shorter. The skies are grayer. Motivation dips. Energy shifts. For some, winter brings more than cozy blankets and snowfalls- it brings loneliness, sadness, irritability, or exhaustion that feels hard to explain.
You are not weak for struggling in winter. You are human.
Seasonal changes affect our brains, our bodies, and our emotions. If this season feels harder than you expected, you don’t have to carry it alone. Therapy can be a light in a darker season. A steady place. A warm space. A reminder that spring always comes. If winter feels heavy, I am here for you.
