Q: Combine a killer stressful election season with a crazy-busy two weeks with crappy perimenopausal symptoms with Seasonal Affective Disorder, and what do you get?
A: I don’t know, but hang onto your pants because it’s sure to be a dangerous ride.
Election Season: With only two weeks to go until election day (and thank God it looks like the apocalypse of a GOP victory is looking less and less likely), the suspense and fear is still making me sick to my stomach. Our family plans to vote this coming Saturday…and I’m already nervous about the likelihood of being in the same room with crazed supporters of the Candidate Who Must Not Be Named.
Crazy-busy schedule: In the next two weeks I (and our Middle) have five choir rehearsals and two concerts. The Husband and I travel six hours in one day to attend The Boy’s choral concert, in which he’s a featured soloist and is conducting a song in concert for the first time. My leadership team meets with the CEO of the foundation we work closely with. And I begin gearing up for the new duties involved with an upcoming promotion.
Perimenopause: Fear it. Okay, maybe it’s not nice of me to discourage my younger blogging friends. But it really does suck. I’m enjoying my fourth year of flop-sweat hot flashes. And recently I’ve been treated to two – count ’em, two! – periods each month. Joy.
Seasonal Affective Disorder: I’ve been taking antidepressants through the fall and winter months for several years, and this year my doc suggested bumping up the dosage. I have to admit my mood has been great, but I’m also struggling with some freaky sleep patterns (two hour afternoon naps, 2:00 am wakefulness. and sleeping until 8:00). Oh, and I’ve been in bed by 7:30 for the last week. Not asleep, mind you, but totally over the day and ready to retreat to my cozy room with a book and Netflix. Definitely time to break out the light therapy box – otherwise when we “fall back” in a couple of weeks and it’s dark by 5:00, I’ll be crashing by 6:00.
So…
I don’t like wine, and a person can only eat so much caramel and sea salt dark chocolate.
Suggestions for coping strategies currently being accepted.
Mom Goes On 
Re the election, busy schedules and possibly the menopause, the run-up is almost always worse than the actual event. Breathe deep. It’ll be over soon.
The impending winter is just a bucketful of misery though. But there is Netflix and chocolate. Especially salted chocolate. Hibernation may be the key.
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You know, you’re absolutely right. The anticipation is always worse than the actual event. Good perspective!
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Xx
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I can totally relate to all of this post. The only encouragement I can give you is that, before you know it, you can call yourself postmenopausal. I’ve heard some pretty wacky and outrageous comments about harming people after the election. I’m still trying to wrap my head around their way of thinking. I have concluded there just isn’t any rationality to the section of the GOP holding their breath waiting for their “candidate” to actually become a good leader. I don’t want to be a part of that kind of world.
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I love the autumn look and feel of your blog!! 🙂
Election- I share your fears. I want it all over so we can all move on. I’m considering voting early in hopes of avoiding those same people you are.
Busy days- yes, it all gets to be much, doesn’t it? I’ve had some of those stretches of days myself and I’m exhausted. It’s nice to keep busy but there is such a thing as too busy, too.
Peri-menopause- having had a partial hysterectomy a number of years ago, I’m not sure where I am in the whole peri or full blown menopause cycle. I know that I’m somewhere though and it’s not fun at times. My emotions sometimes take me by surprise. My sleep patterns are currently unpredictable. It certainly doesn’t help when one of my best friends says offhandedly, “Oh yeah, I think I went through it already. It wasn’t really that bad.” This leads me to believe that either a. She has not really gone through it or b. What the hell?!?!
This too shall pass, right? 🙂
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