Silliness and Socialization

I am at the beginning of my Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) cycle. This is a part of my life that happens every year, and it seems to be related completely to the hot, humid life that occurs around me at this time. I was able to stave off some of the symptoms because we had a nice long spring, but summer is here in its humid, buggy, unpredictable glory, so I can feel things starting to take over.

My SAD has lots to do with my difficulty breathing during these conditions, I am sure. I have chronic headaches, bad asthma, and lots of lethargy. I let things pile up and doing stuff is difficult. I try to minimize the humidity but it is a lost cause around here. I am going to buy a dehumidifier because (duh) that might help with my breathing.

Anyway, to combat some of these feelings, I am trying a bit of silliness and some socialization. I went to Topeka yesterday, our capitol city, and a place that I avoid like the plague because I get lost there very easily - for some strange reason. I can navigate almost everywhere EXCEPT in that town. Anyway, I have a very good friend that lives there and so I headed out to see her. I enjoyed the drive through the Kansas hills and kept thinking, "I need to do this more often." So, I am going to. I am going to drive to Topeka at least once per month this summer to shop in places that are not available to me in my town and to visit my friend.

We had a good couple of hours together, talking and just enjoying each other's company. We haven't seen each other since before the pandemic and lots has happened in our lives since that event. We laughed, I cried, we ate good food, and then we noticed a major storm coming in, so I skedaddled back home. I got turned around the wrong way (which happens EVERY TIME I AM IN TOPEKA) but still knew where I was so was able to find my way home about 60 seconds (literally) before the storm broke.

After all of that, I was able to get my medication and then stayed up until nine! Way to adult!! I woke up this morning and started looking around my house. It has slipped into horrible status, so it needs to be tamed a bit.

The problem with my SAD is that is has an illness component. It is difficult to work when you cannot breathe and when your body fights against everything, but I have to do something. I need to first clear off the kitchen counter so I can put my ice maker up. Then, I will need to take things out to the trash and recycling bins. That is a doable task. I just have to do it.

The silliness that I am introducing into my life has a bit to do with television shows and finding the absurdity in everyday life. I am watching Once Upon a Time - I have tried to watch this show and never got past the first couple of seasons. It seems to be enough silly and soap opera-ish and campy to keep me interested, but it doesn't feel fun for long. I often have to take a break away from it all because it takes energy away from me...

I am also reading light books at the moment. Contemporary adult fiction by Meg Cabot is my go-to when it comes to reading for fun. I love the silly nature of her books, so they are perfect for me to read without having to think too much about anything at all. It makes for a good break from reading about emotional theory and music therapy. Those stories always make me laugh, even when I am reading them for the seven hundredth time.

So, to combat my SAD, I am going to use a dehumidifier, my nebulizer, my bullet journal, my silly books, my car, my friends, and my big bucket of Red Vines that I bought last week but haven't cracked open yet...that needs to change today. Always Red Vines. NEVER Twizzlers. Just so you know.

I am hoping that the humidity is lower today, but I am not sure that is possible. Nope. It is at 93% and the sun hasn't risen completely. Lovely. Okay. Break open the Red Vines now!

Time to make room for some silliness and socialization...