Blooms to beat the blues

A few days ago, my son went to retrieve something from my bedroom, and when he returned he said, "Is there a gas leak in your bedroom?" Turns out he's not fond of the strong scent of paperwhites! But they help me beat the winter blues.

The paperwhites on my husband's dresser in our bedroom

You can watch these growing from bulbs in my paperwhites Flipagram

There were lots of stories in the news this week about "Blue Monday," declared the most depressing day of the year. But for many people, myself included, feeling "blue" isn't limited to just one day in the winter. So what is the best strategy for beating the winter blues?

Winter of 2016

At this time of year, holiday festivities have come and gone. And credit card bills just keep coming. With long nights, and short days, the depths of winter can be hard!

When I was recovering from a bout of depression, after we were married (represented by the church charm), I found myself outside, in the Autumn, planting tulips. I had surprised myself. I was surprised because I realized that planting those tulip bulbs meant that I expected to be alive when the snow melted in the Spring. It meant I could actually see that far ahead. I had something to look forward to. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Well, even if I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, at least I believed there was one. Planting those tulips was, to me, a sign of hope.

Looking back now, I would say there are two important things I learned from that. The first is that it helps me to have something to look forward to. The second is that flowers make me happy.

I've always enjoyed bringing in fresh flowers from the garden in the Spring and Summer, but I didn't really realize how much flowers made me happy until I started doing my Wildflower Walks and taking photos of flowers.

Winter of 2013

When I first decided to make a "Beat the Winter Blues" bracelet, in the Fall of 2012, I knew I needed to include the tulip dangle. It has since been moved to a bracelet I call "Love Blooms Here." So in the middle of our long, dark and cold winters, I try to "Bring in Spring" by forcing paperwhites, tulips, or hyacinth bulbs. And at the very least, I buy a pot of tulips or daffodils when they first appear in the grocery store.

 

So this year, as my health improved after this most recent bout with depression, I am pleased to say that I found myself in the garden again. In October, before the snow came, I (with help from my husband) planted some daffodils and tulips (and even some iris tubers) so I would have Spring blossoms to look forward to - a symbol of hope to help me beat the winter blues.

The tulip dangle on my Love Blooms Here bracelet

Related Posts:

Last year I did a countdown of the twelve days of Christmas but I only got as far as the seventh day of Christmas - must have been a fun New Years! But you can read the stories about how my Beat the Winter Blues bracelet began and why it had the pavé lights and polar bear charms.

Winter usually starts at the beginning of November here in Canada, so there are a number of charms that help me beat the winter blues by reminding me about things I look forward to leading up to Christmas: silver bells, Santa's stocking, tree of lights and Santa's elves and toys.

One of the most important things I do to beat the winter blues is go "walking in a winter wonderland." And the blue daisy charm is about one of my most important affirmations: find beauty every day - even in the depths of winter.

Pandora has an older tulip charm representing international friendship in one of my most popular stories.