Blues Busters

FOUR MORE DAYS!!! Including today. Four days until February. February does not magically promise happiness, but it's a tangible step towards spring. While visiting outside with my neighbor yesterday, she mentioned that she'd been struggling with the winter blahs.

"What do you do to overcome them?" I asked her.

"First I had Larry install stronger lighting in the kitchen. Then I bought myself some blooming tulips to put in the house. I'll plant them in the ground as soon as they're done blooming."

Her ideas made me wonder: do any of you do anything specific to combat the winter blahs? That is, if you even have the winter blahs. I've posted my own ideas below. Please comment and tell me your own. Please. Please.
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Blues Buster Number One: I have a 10,000 lux broad spectrum light. Mine is an older model than the one pictured below from Apollo Light Company. It definitely perks me up, though it's kind of embarrassing when my living room window glows like I have my own tanning bed. For your information: Apollo states on their website that many insurance companies will now cover the cost of one of these lights. It might be worth looking into if cost has kept you from purchasing one before.

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Blues Buster Number Two: I'm going to do exactly what my neighbor suggested and purchase SEVERAL potted tulips, hyacinths, whatever-I-can-find and put one in each room. Serendipitously, I will finally have spring bulbs outside next spring. Every fall I want to plant bulbs, but by then I'm burned out with gardening and don't get it done. This way I can plant my bulbs in the spring when I feel like being outside digging in the dirt.

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Blues Buster Number Three: I'll actually take the Omega 3 capsules I have stocked in my medicine cupboard. I did some hefty research over a year ago and believed at the time that OmegaBrite provided the best quality Omega-3's in the correct ratio to Omega-6. Of course, I couldn't tell you now why I thought this was the best company...but I'm going to trust myself on this one. They're pricey, though.

Studies have shown that high doses of Essential Fatty Acids, specifically Omega-3s (found especially in salmon) relieve depression. But, hey, I'm no doctor. Do your own research before you take my word for it.
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Blues Buster Number Four: I purchased one of these online and received it Friday. I'll use it as an arm cycle, though it can be used with either arms or legs. So far my children have used it twenty-four times while I've used it once. Go figure. My arms are so weak that it's going to take several weeks before I can pump this baby long and hard enough to get my heart rate up. Evidently typing at a keyboard does not increase arm strength or cardiovascular endurance. Bummer.
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These are my intentions. I should know better than to post my intentions before carrying them out, but I couldn't resist.

Remember: please comment to leave your own tried-and-true Blues Busters...or even something you've heard about but not tried.

Here's to a head start on happiness for February!