Hey, Friend.
HORRIFIED. That's the only word for it - I was truly horrified by what I discovered. Last year I took the time to listen to every single interview and podcast episode there was on seasonality, winter, managing winter, managing seasonal affective disorder, and all the other adjacent topics. I have already read every single book on the topic, and dove into the research, but I also knew that most people do not have TIME to do that, and will probably resort to information that is easy to find and easy to consume. Right now, that's podcasts. Let me save you hours of your life with a brief report on what's out there. The audio content I sifted through falls into three categories: 1. fellow sufferers bitching about winter Imagine an hour or two of people talking about how much winter sucks. Relatable, but not helpful.
2. clinicians discussing their research Awesome, and helpful, BUT after hearing "circadian rhythms" AND "glucocorticoid signalling" in ONE sentence, my eyes were glazing over - and it was July! No way anyone struggling with winter is going to find the energy to get through this IN the winter.
3. the woo-woo abyss
I had to take breaks to get through some of these. But you know I am dedicated to the cause, so... I marched on, fueled by coffee and hate.
One medical medium(whatever the HELL that is) suggested that you just have to detox your liver to stop struggling with winter, because....
wait for it....
the antibiotics you took thirty years ago are killing you. <--- I so wish this particular point was an exaggeration for comic effect, but it is not.
I was "thrilled" to hear that the only thing we need to do here is to take zinc (because who doesn't take random supplements based on a random podcast episode, amirite?), and...
WAIT FOR IT ONCE AGAIN....
not only you have to take zinc, it has to be this very special zinc, the one that this person conveniently sells on their website, because other zinc supplements have preservatives and additives, and if you were taking THOSE supplements, you might as well be taking poison.
I know.. I know.. I'm crying from the predictability of this particular fucking cliche too.
Isn't it amazing?
This fall I decided to make sure to dilute the bullshit on Spotify at least somewhat, and appear on a handful of podcasts with trusted colleagues.
May I present "Winterizing 101"- a Spotify playlist with five interviews(and more coming) where I discuss seasonality, managing winter, adjusting movement and nutrition to the seasons, self-compassion, changing appetite and cravings, and more.
For the love of all things evidence-based.
Hugs,
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