My word this year is balance

January has come and gone, I can’t believe it. Time seems to have accelerated somehow. If I’m being honest, I don’t mind that January is behind us. Every year, winter becomes increasingly harder on me, depression kicks in and no matter what methods I take to combat the winter blues, I am no match for its power over me. I shared the darkness and despair I am experiencing with my therapist and he helped me realize that rather than fighting tirelessly, I can accept this time for what it is, a season that will pass. 

It’s shifts in perspective that help us get through the darkest hours of our lives. When we can’t change the circumstances, we can change how we view them. Knowing this season is temporary helps me to focus on better days to come. In my darkest hours, I thank God for giving me the strength to continue on. Without fail, He has shown me all the things in my life worth living for. I am blessed beyond measure, it’s the awareness of those blessings that help me. It begins and ends with gratitude. 

My word this year is balance. I am working very hard on balancing everything in my life..work/life balance, balanced diet (this one is tricky), balanced debt to income, balanced quiet time/social time. The yin and yang symbol pops into my head…I have to remember that all dark has a little light, and all light has a little dark. Accepting this season as the dark season in my life, knowing that it WILL pass is another practice of balance. Balancing the bad and the good, the dark and the light…this too shall pass. 

If you are like me and struggle with depression in the winter months, please find someone to talk to. Remember that this is a season that will end. I have accepted that even with the support of anti-depressants, winters will always be hard on me, it is a temporary pain. Like all pain, God will use it for good. 

I pray this acts as a ray of sunshine helping you to get though…even if just for a moment. It’s usually just a single moment that can shift us from despair to joy. The days are getting longer…the end of this hell is near. On to brighter and warmer days!

Here is what I am grateful for today! Thank You Lord for another day, Thank You for the roof over my head, the furnace to keep me warm, and the food in the fridge. Thank You Lord, for blessing me with the resources to pay for them. Lord, Thank You for the gifts You have given me to share with others, gifts that allow me to provide for my family. 

Xoxo, 

   Gina