For those not in the know, the full term for this acronym is "Seasonal Affective Disorder", which basically means that when it gets cold and dark(so like October-March) I have a hard time sleeping, my energy drops and my personal insecurities go through the roof.
And I have ADD.
Everyone knows what that is, so I won't go into detail--suffice it to say S.A.D. and ADD make for a really fun combination
I'm also a Slytherin(I took the test like six times to make sure). Which means that when I comes to self care apparently I have to do this:
Yeah. Being a Slytherin Artist with S.A.D. is so fun.
The upshot?
My creative ability plummets.
And as a Theatre Artist, this sucks.
Like, you have no idea how much.
Ok, you probably do, but still.
When I was in school, I used to think that the reason I didn't want to be involved in theatre--or much of anything, really--during the Fall/Winter months was because academia was getting in the way and that was sapping my time and energy.
So, until Summer hit, the only thing I did that was theatre related was scribble away at my scripts(because I'd rather cut off my own arm and poke my eyes out with sharp sticks than stop writing).
There were exceptions, of course, but every time I made one, it had--Not So Great Results(not including the Cast Plague).
It wasn't until fairly recently that I figured out that it has nothing to do with my secular activities, but with my genetic makeup. See above.
Yay.
The good news is that once I figured this out I could figure out ways to tackle this problem(because that's the kind of tenacious person that I am--thank you parents!).
Which means I got to make a list.
I love making lists(I started this blog with a list, a million years ago).
And since it's New Year on Wednesday(yay! yikes!), which is the time of year for making lists anyway(or New Years Resolutions, or whatever, again, see above), I'd thought I'd share with you my list, which I not only use for combating SAD, but also my Creative Slumps.
1. Light Therapy
You guys, I wish I'd known about this sooner. It's better than going to a tanning place(not that I've ever been), and cheaper too. All you do is buy a little "happy light"(which you can get from Amazon for pretty cheap), and put it in a place where you have easy access to it. Mine is at my desk at work right next to my computer.
Then turn it on for like thirty-ish minutes and sit in front of it(or angle it so that it gets light into your eyes but not enough to blind you) and it helps so much!
This is because the light from the lamp imitates sunlight(which there is not enough of in the winter grrrrrr). My mom got me one and I use it every day there is no sun(except in the summer) and I love it!
2. Ginger Cocoa.
I have a notorious sweet tooth, and anything that has chocolate in it is my favorite. I also have this minor obsession with ginger--it's sweet with just enough of a bite at the end to give you that nice little energy kick you need.
But it's only good if you make it from scratch: 1 tbsp cocoa(I go for Hersey's Special Dark), 1 tsp ginger(or more if you want it); mix; add enough water/milk to the mug to create a paste; stir; top off mug with milk/water; stir; pop in microwave(unless you've pre-boiled the water). Caveat: don't mix up the cocoa and ginger proportions or it will not taste the same!!!!!
You can also create it on a stove-top and add chocolate chips if you want thicker cocoa--Second Caveat: don't let the sugar burn cause that's a mell of a hess!
I drink gallons of this instead of the packets or pre-made crap and have also begun experimenting with the recipe:
-melting almond bark or those chocolate button things is a great replacement for chocolate chips or cocoa...just make sure you add more milk/water or you get dipping chocolate instead of a drink
-Boiling ginger in the water adds more of a kick--and ginger water is awesome on it's own(also, it prevents Heat Stroke)
-If you don't have ginger, then try adding some kind of extract i.e. vanilla, mint, orange, hazelnut, whatever to get a different kind of flavor. I recently started adding a bit of rum flavored extract and that adds another layer of goodness(don't use lemon extract though--it's a whole other level of disgusting!)
4. Music.
Loyal followers know how much importance I put into music when I'm writing. I have a Soundtrack for every single one of my scripts(the full-length ones, anyway); but I also have Mood Music.
I tend to go on "music kicks", so I've spent months playing different artists on loop(and probably driving housemates and family members up the wall, but that's a "them problem"😛)
In middle school I had a French teacher who would turn on the radio when we were doing "busy work" (like verb conjugation) and the station was always a rap/hip-hop station, so I learned to conjugate verbs to a particular rap song--and now every time I hear that song the conjugations pop up in my head:
Another result? I got obsessed with Eminim, 50 Cent, NWA, Eazy-E, Eve, Ice Cube, Dre, Machine-Gun Kelly, Tupac, Fat Joe,Ja Rule, Ashanti, Jay-Z, Benny Cassette, Black Eyed Peas, Baby Bash, T-Pain, T.I. early Kanye West, Fabulous, Common--and on and on and on. When I voice my love for this genre, my brother tries to say that I only like it cause I saw "Straight Outta Compton", which is...the reason for the re-awakening of my love for rap, but not the roots.
When I was in high school, I got sucked down the 3 Doors Down Rabbit Hole and have never really crawled out of it. I also have like fifteen million songs from Breaking Benjamin and more recently(thanks to an awesome friend's recommendation) Starset and Red.
My current Mood Music kicks? Adam Jensen, Sam Tinnez, and the solo careers of the members of One Direction.
Yes. Yes, I have a very eclectic music taste, thank you.
5. Reading: Plays, Novels, Non-Fiction
I could read by the time I was four.
I was reading Dumas, Robert Louis Stevenson and Austen when I was in third grade. And not the Great Illustrated Classics versions either. "Voracious" does not even begin to describe my reading habits.
One of the hobbies that my grandpa had was collecting old books. I love the smell of them: the leather, the paper, the glue. Whenever I have a long day, no matter the season, I drive to Barnes and Noble just to smell the books--it calms be down.
And just like I have music kicks, I go on book kicks too. I found one of those "Books Everyone Should Read Before They Graduate College" lists on the interwebs and--not surprisingly--I'd read all of them at least twice before I even started college.
Last year, after my bi-annual viewing of "Band of Brothers" I bought the book and then found out that not only had Stephen Ambrose written about the 4077th, but several members of Easy Company had written their own memoirs. Did I buy those? Yes. Yes, I did.
Speaking of memoirs, that was this year's kick: Julie Andrews, Tan France, Kevin Hart, Rob Lowe, Cary Elwes and the Princess Bride Crew, James Cagney, Ronald Regan, Sean Astin(for like the fifth time) all of whom had amazing lives that I knew little to nothing about and have become some of my favorites.
The colder and darker it gets outside, the more hours I devote to reading. My bookshelves are overflowing with old favorites and new loves and books-I-haven't-read-yet-but-the-pitch-intrigued- me so-I-did-an-impulse-buy. My New Play Exchange Reading List (I've been on NPX for almost three years) is full of new worlds to explore and people to meet.
Because, let's be real, if you're wandering in another world you don't think about how gross it looks or feels outside.
No comments:
Post a Comment