It's funny how it happens. The days start to get shorter... the temperature drops... the leaves start to fall... and even though it can be a really beautiful time of year, my heart starts to sink. It sneaks up on me, but by around this time every fall, mornings are starting to get more and more difficult for me.

I'm wary of blaming too much on the seasons, as I feel like it can be a way to deflect responsibility for my own state of mind. But I gotta say, I really hate the feeling of being unable to drag my ass out of bed in the morning, even after 8 or 9 hours of sleep, and I really feel like the decreased hours of daylight are a huge part of that. (See here for some info about "winter blues".)

I guess it's time to dig out my Litebook.

But I'm also trying to remember that mood is so very much a state of mind. My friend Ashley had a lovely reminder on her blog last week, and borrowing the format for affirmations, I made my own:

(breathing in) I don't need the weather to be different
(breathing out) to enjoy this very moment for everything it offers.

PS. I should mention that if you also suffer from SAD, and have been considering investing in something like the Litebook... You can use the discount code they gave me for ordering by phone or online, and get 10% off. It's SP001.