PORTLAND, Ore. — If you've ever felt the Sunday Scaries, the dread that comes along with knowing it's back to work or school and getting up early for the week, allow me to introduce the Fall Scaries.
The Fall Scaries is the dread some of us feel when the time change happens and the days get darker, it rains a lot more and it's cold out. That feeling is now being made worse with COVID-19 closures and nowhere to go.
"We don't usually have our homes ready by the time the time change or fall hits, so when we start realizing we're feeling it, we've already got some neurological or physiological things going on," said Dr. Doreen Dodgen-Magee, a local psychologist and tech addiction specialist. She said we have to be proactive and you can start with messages on sticky notes around your house.
"I have them on my faucets right now," she said, "to remind myself when I'm washing my hands that 'all will be well' or to be able to say, 'I need some deep breaths.' One could say, 'Go outside!'"
And that's her No. 1 piece of clinical advice:
Fresh air!
- Put rain boots at the front door so there's no excuse not to go outside
- Pull out your warmest coat for the same reason
- Commit to having your first coffee, outside like Dr. Doreen does. "I have a small overhang outside my front door, and I have set it up with lots of strings of lights and even candles and a comfortable chair," she said.
- Go for walks, just like you did in summer
Next is LIGHT! It creates atmosphere and regulates neurotransmitters that fight depression.
- String Christmas lights up inside your home
- Light candles
- Get some battery operated wire "fairy" lights and put them in containers
- If you're working or doing school from home, have a desk lamp
"Making sure that your home is filled with eye-level light is really important," said Dr. Doreen. "Overhead light is harsh. It makes the brain and the eyes work harder, and it really is correlated with higher levels of mood change."
Bring nature in!
- Decorate with fall leaves
- Get a houseplant
- Simmer liquid potpourri or cider on the stove to awaken your sense of smell
- Make a soothing sound bubbler out of rocks and a fish tank pump
Finally, create fun!
- Have puzzles, brain games or children's clay out at the ready to grab
- Turn on fun music, have a family dance party
- Get or make your own balance board for movement and laughs on a rainy day
Bottom line, curate your own environment to set yourself up for success.
"Make sure you've got the stuff out and about make sure you have your people lined up, that you can see at a distance, even if it's pouring rain," said Dr. Doreen. "Find ways of meeting the needs of your body and your soul in this time and plan in advance so that you can't easily wiggle out."
Dr. Doreen likened what we're going through to what's known as the Third Quarter Phenomenon. It's a psychological condition studied on those on submarines or astronauts in space who feel depression or decline in job performance near the end of a mission, after being inside for so long. What makes COVID-19 worse than that is we don't have an end point for when life will return to normal.
You can follow Dr. Doreen on Instagram here.