LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 13 Growing up in the Adirondack Mountains taught me that winter isn't just a season — it is a psychological landscape. The cold settles in for months, the daylight becomes rationed, and even at noon the sky looks like it's considering letting loose a squall simply because it can. Now that I live in sunny Colorado, I take year-round cheerful weather for granted, I must admit. When my Western colleagues and fellow hikers learn I'm from the Adirondacks, they mildly scrunch their noses and commonly ask, "Isn't it, like, seriously cold up there all the time? And cloudy? " I assure them it's not cold or cloudy all the time, but it is a lot of the time. When I re- veal that the coldest temperature I've ever camped in was 36 degrees below zero in the Adirondacks, and that for up to a week or two, Adirondackers may feel they are inhabiting a fishbowl of murky water, they respond with a simple confirmation. "I see." As a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in the treatment of depression, I can assure you that the mental strain people feel during winter isn't a charac- ter flaw or lack of grit problem. Instead, it's an entirely reasonable response to an environment defined by a surplus of cold and a shortage of light. What may be known to you as "the winter blues" or "cabin fever" is recognized in my field as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a well-documented and long-documented pat- tern marked by low energy, low motivation, and low emotional lift. The good news is there are many ways to effectively mitigate this cold-weather funk. My three go-to approaches are embracing acceptance and com- mitment therapy, taking action, and getting outside. They intertwine by design. My first suggestion centers on my go-to therapeutic model for clients, and that's acceptance and commit- ment therapy. The acronym is ACT, which is way better than SAD. I explain ACT by using the fork in the road analogy. As you encounter the first fork, you see two signs. One points left toward "Want," the other points right toward "Best." It is inadvisable to bear left be- cause what you want is often not good for you. It's wise to bear right because when you choose what is best for you, well, it's just best. As you continue down this road called Life, you encounter another fork with two signs. One points left toward "Happiness," the other points right toward "Values." This decision is a little tougher because, come on, who doesn't want to be happy? But happiness is elusive, and once you finally grab it, it slips from your grasp like a wet puppy. It's best to bear right because when you design a life rich in personal values, you attain genuine fulfillment, not fleeting happiness. My next suggestion centers on taking action. As I of- ten share in my clinical work, I have never had a client take action and feel worse. Action creates movement, and movement creates possibility. Even the smallest steps interrupt the globular mental stagnation that winter can impose. The great thing about taking action Sunset from Van Dorrien Mountain, High Peaks Wilderness Area

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