A brief update is in order.
I haven’t posted since July. Blogging has completely slipped my mind. So much has happened. University has swallowed me whole. There’s that… and there’s the fact that I’m in the depths of a mild depressive episode.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see I haven’t been doing well recently. I attribute this to a number of factors both personal and academia/career-related. I won’t get into it here. A main cause of this spike in depression and anxiety is the weather.
Winter hurts. It lacerates. The year bids its farewell. Darkness comes earlier, the air grows colder. Everything freezes. Yet winter also holds warmth and comfort. Christmas is the best part of the year, a cabin in a vast stretch of polar waste. A mirage in the desert. It brings relief and hope in the year’s darkest and most emotional days. I think I’m suffering from seasonal-affective disorder. These feelings are temporary, and I know I’m not alone, but these reassurances only slightly lift the weight.
I know I’ll be alright. I always am. I just need to allow myself to feel these negative emotions. Write my way through them, continue engaging my mind and doing the things that give my life meaning.
In all likelihood, I won’t post anything until the New Year. Not that I post consistently anyway – not at the moment. I plan on changing that. I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
This is a particularly emotional time for us all. Our highs and lows become amplified as the year ends. Let’s take care of ourselves. Spend some time with our loved ones and spend some time alone (get the balance right). Eat great food. Do good things. We made it to the year’s end. We’ll make it to the end of many more years to come. We will make it through everything, always.
Nadolig Llawen a blywddyn newydd dda.
Iestyn Tudor 