Her Home Is Her Therapist
When she remembers to change her perspective and have a little fun, her home helps her through winter’s low points
Shelly Miller Leer
January 24, 2017
Houzz Contributor. I've been upholstering furniture and building small furnishings for over twenty years. I've been a DIY contributor to ApartmentTherapy Chicago, Huff Post Home, Curbly.com, as well as having penned a DIY column for The Indianapolis Star for five years. Home is Where the Heart Is is an understatement.
Houzz Contributor. I've been upholstering furniture and building small furnishings... More
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: It is the time for home.” — Edith Sitwell, poet and critic
The quote above is all well and good for individuals untouched by seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, but if you’re one of the 10 to 20 percent of the population that suffers from mild SAD, the winter months can knock you off your A game. Fall and winter SAD symptoms may include irritability, tiredness or low energy, problems getting along with other people and more, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you suffer from the winter blues, your home probably serves as a hideout in which you spend your weeks waiting for spring to arrive. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The quote above is all well and good for individuals untouched by seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, but if you’re one of the 10 to 20 percent of the population that suffers from mild SAD, the winter months can knock you off your A game. Fall and winter SAD symptoms may include irritability, tiredness or low energy, problems getting along with other people and more, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you suffer from the winter blues, your home probably serves as a hideout in which you spend your weeks waiting for spring to arrive. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
After wasting too many winter months in a state of waiting, I made a concerted effort to change this pattern of annual hibernation. The best tool at my disposal was the same one that had served as my winter fortress for so many years: my home.
There’s not enough room here to include every way my home has adapted to help me through these rough patches. But the following has enabled me to bust through the seasonal inertia that weighs heavily on my emotions, as well as my body, during the shorter and colder days of winter.
Strive for Visual Variety
First of all, in the case of mild SAD, getting out of a bluesy funk on any given day can be as simple as a shift in perspective. Switching the visual scene within a house can cause a slight jolt to the mind. That jolt, as well as a change in routine, allows the mind to see things differently, from a different angle.
This happened last winter when I chose a spot in my home where I could sit by a big window and soak up the sun on a clear day. This little change was so effective that I decided to convert the room into a small home office.
Note: Seasonal affective disorder, or winter blues, is mild and temporary. I’m sharing ideas that have helped me stay active and engaged throughout the winter months so that I don’t hide out and retreat from social activity. If you suffer from a more serious form of depression, please see your doctor.
There’s not enough room here to include every way my home has adapted to help me through these rough patches. But the following has enabled me to bust through the seasonal inertia that weighs heavily on my emotions, as well as my body, during the shorter and colder days of winter.
Strive for Visual Variety
First of all, in the case of mild SAD, getting out of a bluesy funk on any given day can be as simple as a shift in perspective. Switching the visual scene within a house can cause a slight jolt to the mind. That jolt, as well as a change in routine, allows the mind to see things differently, from a different angle.
This happened last winter when I chose a spot in my home where I could sit by a big window and soak up the sun on a clear day. This little change was so effective that I decided to convert the room into a small home office.
Note: Seasonal affective disorder, or winter blues, is mild and temporary. I’m sharing ideas that have helped me stay active and engaged throughout the winter months so that I don’t hide out and retreat from social activity. If you suffer from a more serious form of depression, please see your doctor.
One side of the office is furnished with a tall desk and stool for working from home. On the other side, I created a cozy little space by moving in a rocking chair from the living room and adding a round glass-topped side table and lots of books and pens. My physical perspective changed immediately when I viewed the space from this new position.
With that startling change came a rush of excitement and a shift in my outlook as I made plans to transform and use the space in a new way. It felt fresh, almost like being in a different home. Seeing rooms in the house from a new perch is surprisingly uplifting and inspiring.
With that startling change came a rush of excitement and a shift in my outlook as I made plans to transform and use the space in a new way. It felt fresh, almost like being in a different home. Seeing rooms in the house from a new perch is surprisingly uplifting and inspiring.
Soak Up Natural Light
For me, a lack of sunlight greatly contributes to my seasonal malaise. Now, spending an hour or so reading or writing on a sunny day in my new little office feels almost as invigorating as spending a summer day outside. Even on cloudy days, there’s enough light coming in the window that I can feel the beneficial effects.
For me, a lack of sunlight greatly contributes to my seasonal malaise. Now, spending an hour or so reading or writing on a sunny day in my new little office feels almost as invigorating as spending a summer day outside. Even on cloudy days, there’s enough light coming in the window that I can feel the beneficial effects.
Plan Something Fun
Another guaranteed winter mood lifter for me has been forcing myself to plan something fun with friends at my home.
As the winter weeks wear on, a byproduct of SAD is that social interactions can drop off. Once this happens, it may feel like a chore to get out and have fun. If that’s the case, then just bring the fun home.
Why not plan a summer-style cookout, but do it indoors? When my kids were young and cabin fever had them bouncing off the walls, we’d create a beach party inside. I’d crank up the heat a bit and let them run around the house in their bathing suits.
We designated spots for the “beach” and our “picnic” area. I’d put on surf music and even let them hang ten on one of my all-time favorite pieces of furniture, a solid wood oval-shaped (durable) coffee table — very surfboard-esque. They loved it, and I loved it too.
Another guaranteed winter mood lifter for me has been forcing myself to plan something fun with friends at my home.
As the winter weeks wear on, a byproduct of SAD is that social interactions can drop off. Once this happens, it may feel like a chore to get out and have fun. If that’s the case, then just bring the fun home.
Why not plan a summer-style cookout, but do it indoors? When my kids were young and cabin fever had them bouncing off the walls, we’d create a beach party inside. I’d crank up the heat a bit and let them run around the house in their bathing suits.
We designated spots for the “beach” and our “picnic” area. I’d put on surf music and even let them hang ten on one of my all-time favorite pieces of furniture, a solid wood oval-shaped (durable) coffee table — very surfboard-esque. They loved it, and I loved it too.
Nowadays, planning an indoor cookout or barbecue for adults brings the same sense of fun. Shoveling a path in the snow to the grill for hamburgers and brats adds to the authenticity and irreverence of the off-season gathering.
Before guests arrive, you might want to push furniture aside to create a makeshift dance floor. After dinner, turn up the music and let the moves begin. Nothing chases away the blues like an hour or two of dancing with friends.
Before guests arrive, you might want to push furniture aside to create a makeshift dance floor. After dinner, turn up the music and let the moves begin. Nothing chases away the blues like an hour or two of dancing with friends.
Show Your Home Some Love
Using the remaining weeks of winter to do something practical and nice for your beloved home does wonders for your outlook too. Planning a minor, low-cost project pays off in both the short and long term.
One of the easiest and most inexpensive home improvement projects is painting a room. Sure, freshly painted rooms are a delight, but the real benefits come from the momentum that comes from that one simple project. Fresh paint sparks more ideas — maybe new bedding or a new rug, organizing projects for closets and drawers, and loads of unused clothes to donate to charity.
This domino effect can easily inspire a path of purposeful projects that create a sense of excitement about sprucing up your home.
Using the remaining weeks of winter to do something practical and nice for your beloved home does wonders for your outlook too. Planning a minor, low-cost project pays off in both the short and long term.
One of the easiest and most inexpensive home improvement projects is painting a room. Sure, freshly painted rooms are a delight, but the real benefits come from the momentum that comes from that one simple project. Fresh paint sparks more ideas — maybe new bedding or a new rug, organizing projects for closets and drawers, and loads of unused clothes to donate to charity.
This domino effect can easily inspire a path of purposeful projects that create a sense of excitement about sprucing up your home.
Getting a home improvement project going can be a struggle under normal conditions, and in the throes of SAD it may seem impossible, especially in bitterly cold weather.
A trick that’s worked for me is to plan a party first, then put a list together of what needs to be done around the house. The excitement about the party will likely carry over to the house
preparation.
Your home becomes the tool being used to facilitate a whirlwind of positive actions. Previewing paint chips may be all it takes to get started, but just start somewhere. That tiny shift in action has often been all I needed to get me through the remaining weeks of winter with a fresh outlook.
A trick that’s worked for me is to plan a party first, then put a list together of what needs to be done around the house. The excitement about the party will likely carry over to the house
preparation.
Your home becomes the tool being used to facilitate a whirlwind of positive actions. Previewing paint chips may be all it takes to get started, but just start somewhere. That tiny shift in action has often been all I needed to get me through the remaining weeks of winter with a fresh outlook.
Home has always been the place to which I retreat for renewal and regeneration, in good times and bad. It served as my safe hibernation cave before I realized I had a say in how I managed the winter months. The cave was useful when I needed it, but then I didn’t need or want home to be that anymore.
As I grew in strength to stretch beyond my old beliefs about winter, my home was graciously ready to help. Like an underappreciated loyal friend, it showed me that it had much more to offer. It was as if a light had been switched on: I suddenly saw my home as the most useful tool I had to facilitate the change I desired so much.
And like a good friend, my home is always able to bend, accommodate and let me dress it up, providing space for family gatherings as well as cozy moments of reading and reflection. It’s never confined to a fixed function — rather, it continues to offer flexibility and infinite possibilities.
Your turn: How has your home helped boost your mood? Tell us and share your photos in the Comments.
More
6 Ways to Beat the Winter Blahs
8 Life-Enhancing Home Resolutions for the New Year
As I grew in strength to stretch beyond my old beliefs about winter, my home was graciously ready to help. Like an underappreciated loyal friend, it showed me that it had much more to offer. It was as if a light had been switched on: I suddenly saw my home as the most useful tool I had to facilitate the change I desired so much.
And like a good friend, my home is always able to bend, accommodate and let me dress it up, providing space for family gatherings as well as cozy moments of reading and reflection. It’s never confined to a fixed function — rather, it continues to offer flexibility and infinite possibilities.
Your turn: How has your home helped boost your mood? Tell us and share your photos in the Comments.
More
6 Ways to Beat the Winter Blahs
8 Life-Enhancing Home Resolutions for the New Year
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A true haven …thank you for sharing your wisdom,
I love the library. I would spend hours there and enjoy the day reading and exploring.
Have you ever noticed how quickly time flies when you have a day to putter around your house? I always think I can get so much accomplished, but I get stuck doing something I haven't done for awhile and POOF! It' dinnertime.