Essential takeaway: LIGHT.
I do not care for January and February. Where I live, it is cold, wet, freezing, dark, and frigid. Did I mention I’m constantly cold?! I realize its been a “mild winter” but these dark months have felt especially heavy. I don’t have depression, but I do suffer from low vitamin d and I’m cold all the time! My docs have me on increased vitamin d, I recently started some light therapy, and I’m afraid of the electric bill after my time with the many electric blankets I have around the house. The last couple of months have felt very dark and heavy as I watch friends and family members struggle with very real problems. In the last two months, I have seen up close the tragedy of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, pornography addiction, a mental health crisis, children struggling with adult level things, and serious financial struggles. People close to me are examples that Covid and social distancing can be the least of our worries. In times like these, I remember a quote from Robert D Hales. He said “Light dispels darkness. When light is present, darkness is vanquished and must depart. When the spiritual light of the Holy Ghost is present, the darkness of Satan departs.”
Now more than ever, I have felt the need to seek light. Now when I read my scriptures, I turn on my light therapy and very literally soak up the light. I must soak up literal and spiritual light every day. Elder Hales continues with this analogy: “I became very aware that we cannot store oxygen. We cannot save the air we need to breathe, no matter how hard we try. Moment by moment, breath by breath, our lives are granted to us and are renewed. So it is with spiritual light. It must be renewed in us on a regular basis. We must generate it day by day, thought by thought, and with daily righteous action if we are to keep the darkness of the adversary away.” My scriptures, light therapy, exercise, talking to good friends, and an electric blanket are how I’m surviving. What do you do to soak up light and goodness when days feel heavy?
choosetobeelect.com 