Singin' In the Rain

Hey beauts.

So if you read my last post, you saw that there's been a bit of rainy, foggy, chilly gloom around these parts lately!  Yiiiiiikes.  But today is a gorgeous day and I'm feelin GOOD and I thought I'd share a really interesting article I read recently (can you call BuzzFeed lists "interesting articles"?  Yeah, I think you can. So I stand by it).

If you know me at all, you know I do a fair amount of singing.  And humming.  And when I say a fair amount, I mean it's rare that I go more than 15 minutes without doing one or the other, unless I'm sleeping.  Or it's socially unacceptable to do so.  And sometimes that doesn't even stop me.  Oops!  We're talking grocery store aisles, libraries, gas stations, etc.  I've been given looks.  And I'm fairly certain a lot of people think I talk to myself.  Whatcha-gonna-do. Most of the time I don't notice when I'm doing it.  I would say probably three times a week my office mate will say "What are you singing this time?" or "There she goes again." Or "Hey I like that song."  To which I reply, "What song?"  And she informs me that I was singing.  Geez!  God bless my perfect roommate, who hears the singing while cooking / cleaning / showering / existing that occurs around our apartment on a daily basis.  

You know what I've realized?  Singing gets me through a lot.  Sometimes all I want is to get in my car and put on a playlist of belters and let 'er rip.  I actually have one on my phone called "Belters," containing the likes of R. Kelly, JoJo, Mandy Moore, Kelly Clarkson, Switchfoot, and many many more.  It covers all the bases and gets the job done.  

When I first started skiing, both my daredevil younger sister and I would sing our way down the whole mountain.  Singing louder as the run got steeper.  It helped us simultaneously concentrate and distract, and seemed to ease the tension of a scary moment.  Scary, snowy driving over Snoqualmie Pass?  Never without a lot of singing.  Preparing for a stressful work day or event?  Sing sing sing, hum hum hum.  

My point in telling you all of this is to say - it really works!  And I am a FIRRRMMMMM believer that singing shouldn't be reserved for people who consider themselves singers.  We all have vocal cords.  So use them for more than basic communication.  It's a God-given, built-in stress reliever, people!  Have at it!  But don't just take my word for it.  Check it out:

15 Reasons You Need To Start Singing Every Minute Of Every Day
(I mean the title alone is amazing... they had me at hello)

And just in case you prefer to take your health tips from something slightly more scholarly, here's a Time Magazine article while we're at it: 

Singing Changes Your Brain

Honestly, articles abound on this topic!  Have a little Google fest for yourself!  (That kind of sounds bad for some reason.  So, just Google it...)

And don't forget to dance.  While you sing.  Whenever possible.  I know I've made my thoughts on this perfectly clear, but I can't say it enough.  Zumba provides a great opportunity for this, seeing as the music is so loud nobody will hear you singing along to the songs you don't actually know, and they're all too preoccupied with watching their own damn selves shake their groove thangs to even notice!  For real.  It's perfect.  And, as I said to my main squeeze Russanne the other day, "Nothing makes me feel like more of a hot goddess than just the right combo of cropped, fitted yoga pants, a flowy workout top, Nikes, and Sean Paul."  Guys I love Sean Paul and I don't care who knows it.  So you just go ahead and click here and learn this dance (sorry for the terrible sound quality) and know that it's my new favorite thing.  That specific routine.  I do it at Zumba.  That very one.  Every week.  And feel like a freaking dancing queen.  Young and sweet.  Only seventeen (can't win 'em all).

So sing like no one is watching and dance like no one is listening or whatever the crap that awful quote is, and let's power through the rainy season right into the summer of our dreams!

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu.

Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you.

Just keeping with the theme here.

Today's jam: "Song for Zula" by Phosphorescent.

(I don't know about you, but this song makes me feel like I can do anything)

Ain't No Sunshine

The sun'll come ouuuutttt, TOMORROW this Spring (hopefully).

Bet your bottom dollar that TOMORROWWWW in May (if we're lucky),

There'll be SUN.

Ok so that sassy little ditty isn't entirely true.  We've actually had a lot of sunshine lately in these parts.  Not nearly as much of the Western WA rain that we're so unfairly (in)famous for.  I mean don't get me wrong - it rains.  Kind of a lot.  But not so much this Winter so far.  But geeeeeeeesh is it cold (... easy, Spokanites.  I know, you're colder).  And it still gets dark much earlier than we would prefer.  Though that's slowly but surely changing too!  Wahoo!  

The point is, it's Winter.  It's dark, it's dreary, it's time to listen to Re:Stacks by Bon Iver on repeat and hole up with ooey, gooey comfort foods and hot drinks and Grey's Anatomy Netflix binges.  All day, e'ry day.  Oh, that's just me?  EFF.  Except I know it's not, so get over yourselves.  And not EVERYTHING I eat is ooey gooey and comforting, oh-KAY?  And I still go to the gym and make mostly healthy choices.  I just do it in time to come back to Grey's Anatomy when it's all dark and dreary.  Yikes.

Because you know what?  Cold, dark Winter months affect me.  And I don't care who knows it.  Do I fall into deep, dark, devastating depression?  No.  Do I maybe fall into a little teenie weenie touch of depression from time to time?  YES.  And so do YOU.  Because everyone does.  Not just in the Winter, not just because of the Winter.  But because of our brains and our serotonin and our Mood Monsters who selfishly hog them.  My theory is that they get just as sad and cold and hungry in the Winter as we do, so they feel like they need to hole up with our ooey gooey comforting neurotransmitters too (GROSS, don't let yourself try to picture that). 

So what do we do abut this?

It's hard to say.  Because we can't manufacture sunshine, right?

Well actually we kinda can.  I mean not REALLY.  But kind of.

1. I have heard good things about sun lamps.  Keep one on your desk?  Or maybe just use it at home when you are bummed that you completely missed the light of day because you rose before the sun and worked right through its bed time.
2. Vitamin D supplements.  This ain't no joke.  I have been reading a lot about Vitamin D and its MANY benefits, and it's really important to supplement when you aren't getting it in the form of those glorious warm rays.
3. Exercise.  I say it every time I'm talking about ways to improve mood and energy and blah, blah, blah, but that's because it's the oldest and most basic trick in the book folks!  So go on a walk!  In the sun!  While taking your Vitamin D supplement!  Ok, ok.  Over the top.  Just getting excited.
4. If you have to snuggle up indoors, don't snuggle up alone!  Oooooo, romantic!  That's not what I meant.  Well, maybe it is.  That's not a bad option.  Ayyyohhhhh!
5. Make fun plans for this weekend or next weekend or every weekend and have great things to look forward to.  Trust me, this works wonders.

Anyway y'all.  I just wanted to take a quick breather from the dark and dreary places we find ourselves in these looonnnnng Winter months to say... the sun really WILL come up soon.  Maybe not tomorrow.  But soon.  And if you're surprised at how dark and sad and lonely you feel this time of year, just be comforted in knowing you're not alone.  And it makes perfect sense.  Our bodies just need a little extra TLC to deal with the natural mood-boosters we're lacking.  So be good to yourself.  Be kind to yourself.  Listen to yourself.  Don't pretend like you're fine when you're not, because that just leads to darker, drearier, dreadful places where you don't want to be.  Feel the way you feel, listen to your realistic bummer moods, and then do something about it.

And listening to this song can't hurt...

Today's jam: "Shuffle" by Bombay Bicycle Club

Be back again soon!
(I'm REALLY going to try to make that true)