Combat Winter isolation

For as long as I can remember, I’ve attributed a hopeful sadness to the end of the year.  It’s as if the soul of present experience is departing and being replaced with something unknown.  As fellow Veterans and First Responders, you know how much we absolutely adore unknowns.  It’s a transition that encompasses all senses.  You see the leaves change and the days grow shorter.  You hear the music shift and the animals fall silent.  You smell the pine and wood smoke.  Your skin touches the chill air, and yes, you taste the pumpkin spice (damn right you do, don’t be ashamed of it).  Perhaps that is why this time of year hits us so hard.

This feeling is so pervasive in modern culture that fancy folk with walls full of degrees have attributed a name to it: Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Oxford Dictionary defines Seasonal Affective Disorder as “depression associated with late autumn and winter and thought to be caused by a lack of light”.  That’s pretty verbose, so let me break it down for those of us with lower ASVAB scores:  If you feel sad this time of year, it may be because you’re exposed to less sunlight”.  Let’s take it one step further.  Holidays add stress of travel and family, inclement weather means less desire to go outside, and in 2025 these experiences mean more time attached to screens.  Your phone gives you that quick dopamine hit before Uncle Dan tells you for the fiftieth time that he could have been in the military too if not for his flat feet, bum leg, and utter cowardice.  There’s a good chance everyone around you is experiencing the same struggle since they too share this rock hurtling through space during the same time of year.  So how do we combat this feeling?  

I am fortunate that I don’t have to worry about extremely cold temperatures where I live, in fact fall and winter are when I spend the most time outside, but this isn’t the same for everyone.  Camping, fishing, hiking, and hunting are all hobbies that keep me grounded.  Want to go camping but don’t want to freeze?  Find a sleeping bag rated for lower temperatures, learn to build a campfire and a heat reflecting wall, or just make a trip to a warmer climate.  This is always more fun with groups.  I highly recommend Veterans and First Responders find organizations such as Walking with Warriors: https://walkingwithwarriorsministry.org/event-sign-up . These folks will get you outdoors with a group of people of similar backgrounds.

Hate the outdoors?  Don’t worry, keep sipping that pumpkin spice latte, Daddy’s got you.  Organize movie nights with your friends.  Make sure to set a date and time that can be repeated by most in the group.  For example, it could be the first and third Friday of every month.  You’ll be surprised what having an expected fun event already planned will do for your mood.  Having a group will keep you accountable to show up.  It already being planned and added to the calendars takes the stress out of scheduling.  Routine is key here!  Bonus points if you pick theme nights.

“But, I hate physical contact with other people and my cats get upset when I leave the house!”  Yea, I wouldn’t want to piss of nature’s perfect killing machine either.  Give virtual activities a shot.  Something as simple as playing video games with a group of friends at pre-scheduled times can give you a sense of purpose outside of the daily work grind.  You can even do this anonymously with other players, just be careful about negativity.  Anonymity breeds malice and unpleasantness.  

Fitness is another great option.  Maybe it’s time to build that basement gym you’ve been dreaming of!  Throw in a sauna, some weights, a stationary bike, and you’re one step closer to being prepared for warmer weather and bikini season.

The best advice I can give from personal experience and research is to find a project to build or a hobby to work on, establish a routine, and then stick to it.  You’re accountable for your own happiness, but also keep an eye out for others.  The proverbial 22/day is heartbreaking so if you notice your buddy slipping, schedule a road trip for you two!

To quote American Naturalist and author Hal Borland, “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”  Once you understand the isolation that comes from this season, you can take steps to combat it.  Lack of sunlight may make the days darker, but that doesn’t have to carry over into our moods.

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