The Winter Blues

I don’t actually know how to shake the winter blues. I wish I did. If I lived somewhere colder, darker—where winter stretched long beyond its welcome—I’m pretty sure I’d struggle even more. Because when the days feel gray and the air stings (last week in Dallas, we had wind chills in the single digits!), I feel it too.

What’s funny is that I didn’t even realize I’d been carrying this weight until my friend Dottie called me out on it. She wasn’t being dramatic, just direct: Emily, I’m worried about you. What’s really going on?

I almost brushed it off—Oh, I’m fine, just a weird week—but she pressed on. It’s been more than a week. And she was right. I hadn’t seen it as a pattern, but she had.

Maybe it’s just the season, or the relentless news cycle, or the fact that it’s freezing in Dallas right now and I haven’t been moving my body the way I should. Maybe it’s something bigger—grief creeping in before I consciously recognize its arrival. March marks another year without my dad. It’s also been almost a year since Jim’s dad passed. The body remembers, even before the mind catches up.

So here’s what I’m reminding myself: I don’t have to force my way out of this feeling. It’s okay to sit with it. But I also know what lifts me.

My Rx: I need to be outside, even if it’s cold. I need to move my body, soak in whatever sunlight I can. I need people—coffee shop chatter, walks with friends, real-life connection.

Dottie’s call was the nudge I didn’t know I needed. And maybe this post is yours. If you’re feeling it too, let’s not just wait for spring to save us. Let’s check in on each other. Let’s get outside, make a plan, say yes to the friend who wants to grab coffee.

The sun is coming back. And until then, we have each other.

Monday’s Reflection

I wrote this on Friday, feeling the weight of winter blues, and took my own advice to heart. This weekend, I showed up for my community, loving on United to Learn elementary schools (and enjoying some much-needed girl time!) with Dottie Smith. Saturday was spent with family and a culture day at my son’s school. Sunday morning, we did a much-needed Sanford Sunday reboot—walking to get coffee, my daughter riding her bike beside us, all of us soaking in the fresh air together. Later in the afternoon, I took a long, long walk with my dog on what turned out to be the most glorious day.

Are my winter blues completely gone? No. But do I feel a little lighter, a little brighter, like spring is starting to peek through? Absolutely.