Spreading the sun into our homes as it sets earlier outside is a very restorative solution to the doldrums that often plague people when there is less daylight. There are many ways to celebrate the shorter daylight hours for the 6-7 week period in the fall when we lose daylight savings time. This year, we are in our first week of different daylight time. The mornings are gorgeous and begin earlier, a very refreshing feeling. Rising earlier allows us to take advantage of more daylight at the beginning of our days, to offset the earlier darkness in the late afternoon.
We will have less sunlight until December 21st, when the winter solstice arrives. Our holidays are upon us and we are occupied with celebrations, either small intimate gatherings and pastimes, or larger festivities, including relatives and friends. Our focus shifts more to the inside of our homes, having cozy and rejuvenating times.
Many of us struggle with the extreme changes, as it seems to happen very quickly. We’re outside, getting fit, enjoying our outdoor hobbies, having fun in the early evening hours all summer and all of a sudden when fall arrives on Sept 21st, we slowly notice the changes less daylight brings. There are many things we’re able to do to alleviate the missing daylight hours and have cheerful evenings inside our homes.
Lighting is one of the easiest ways to improve the comfort and ambience in our interior spaces. Concentrating on lighting only the spaces you occupy in the evening saves electricity use. Having the correct type of “light bulb” will help us psychologically. Warm and cool “light bulbs” in a variety of spectrums are available, especially at specialty lighting stores. We have incandescent, halogen, energy saver and many choices to take care of any personal preference, task lighting and general room needs. Simply, floor and table lighting provides a warmer atmosphere and more cozy feeling than overhead lighting either in our ceilings or lighting fixtures that hang from the ceiling. Fires in our fireplaces invite warmth and closeness as another way to bring light into our rooms.
There are specific lighting fixtures available for people who become depressed during the wintertime, due to lack of sunlight hours. Some people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, a condition where they have trouble functioning when they don’t get enough “sunlight.” Spending time under lighting designed to mimic the sun more closely than regular interior lighting is helpful to many people. Medical sites like the Mayo Clinic have helpful ideas and possible solutions to help those who struggle psychologically during the these times.
Window shadings like the Silhouette® blinds by Hunter Douglas and similar shadings by other companies will help your feeling of comfort as you enjoy your evening hours in your home. They are fabric shadings, which promote a softer, more sensuous feeling than mini blinds or hard vertical blinds. When the room feels soft and inviting, we feel better. The Silhouette® product offers softness, insulation, privacy and filtered views, all at the same time. They have square, tubular, horizontal openings which provide wonderful light refraction and insulation at the same time. Often bugs find their way into those openings and are difficult to remove. We have invented the CamilyWand Sticky Bug Removal Tool™ to solve the pesky bug problem. It’s sticky tip grabs unwanted critters, effortlessly removing them from the blind. If left in the shading, bugs can do serious damage to the shadings, ruining a beautiful product and investment. It is available at our shop here at CamilyWand™.
Bringing nature inside during our months of shortened daylight hours is a wonderful, psychologically uplifting feeling. Some people “winter” come of their tender outdoor vegetation by bringing it inside their homes when the temperatures dip. Some build interior window boxes where they have cheerful greenery and flowers inside all late fall and winter. They are extending the growing season from spring and summer to year around.
Music therapy is another solution to use in these circumstances. There are many music therapy professionals who teach how music affects our psyches, therefore changing our happiness levels. Molly Lord, of Tuned-In Productions, is an excellent speaker on this subject. She had advanced training in behavior disorders, which helps her in her music therapy offerings. There are many sources available for support in this area.
As we move into the holiday season, remember these ideas to soften the blow of less sunlight and daylight in our lives. They will help you feel better and allow you to embrace the time differences, turning less daylight hours into positive action and feelings.