With two months left in the year, it’s safe to say winter is coming (even here in Southern California). With it comes many things. Christmas lights strung on balconies, a chill in the mornings, Mariah Carey at every corner, and all else you can dream of with the holidays around the corner.

But for some, this also means the rise of something called SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is defined by the Cleveland Clinic as “a type of depression that’s triggered by a change in seasons.”

Symptoms include “sadness, lack of energy, loss of interest in usual activities, oversleeping”, among others.

It’s easy to forget a lot of things, good feelings included.

Here’s a poem for the times when you need a reminder.

[seasonal]
it’s easy to forget poetry can be good too
anguish is not the only thing that can be written about
there’s goodness too

hope and healing
wrapped in a package for you to open,
only if you choose to
it’s a package that always gets forgotten
it finds its way to your door and you leave it shut
no matter how many times it knocks

but sometimes you need to remember
to check the mail
and hold the box close
unwrap the gifts that come from all the hurt that’s fallen with the snow

maybe not all the time, but sometimes,
it helps

no matter how many times you’ve been robbed
you’ll always get another package
because there’s always enough love to go around

don’t forget about the goodness in the world
i’m here to deliver your reminder
you just have to open the door

Suicide Prevention Resources:
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention