We were ready for March Madness in our house. We had our brackets filled out on the ESPN site and eagerly hoped our Hoos could get to at least the Sweet 16. Even the dogs were decked out in UVA orange. Truth be told, I picked my teams based on my love for Tony Bennet, team name recognition from past tournaments, and school colors. I didn’t expect big rewards. Good thing, because UVA lost in the first round. Again. Cue the March Madness, and what I call, on a personal level, March Mayhem.
March is my hardest month. It always brings chaos, thanks to the shift to Daylight Saving Time and the erratic weather. The dark mornings make it hard for me to get out of bed. The budding trees and daffodils tell me warmer weather is coming, but the chill wind chides me, NOT YET. And let’s talk about the wind. Here in our valley between the Appalachian Mountains and the Blue Ridge, the wind howls most days of March. Relentlessly. The cold bursts of air sap my excitement for going outside or tackling my to do list. I just want to curl up under a blanket and sleep. Or read.
My friend Lanny told me she’s likes March because it’s “bipolar.” “You never know what you’ll get!” she said gleefully. Clearly, she’s more comfortable with change than I am. When I complained to my husband about the lingering cold and unpredictable weather of March, he said, “But March is the month when everything turns green.”
Clearly, if I am going to survive March, I need to shift my perspective.
A long time ago, I wrote down a piece of advice from productivity guru Michael Hyatt .
“You get more of what you notice.”
Michael Hyatt
If I want to remain blue and listless, I can keep on focusing on the thermometer and listening for gusts against my windows.
Or, I can decide to defeat March Mayhem, one day at a time. One thought at a time.
Here are five things I’m doing to combat March Mayhem. Maybe you will find them helpful too:
- Thinking of others instead of me, specifically, writing cards to people who are sick, lonely, struggling. You know, with a fun pen on a colorful card.
- Baking or cooking for others. When it’s cold, it’s fun to bake. Doing something with my hands helps reset my mind.
- Movement is critical, even when the weather is unpleasant. I like yoga, walking the dogs, and on crummy days, the stationary rower.
- Volunteering. This week I went back to the Open Door Cafe, our town’s donation based community cafe. The new perspective helped. Immensely.
- Purging. I have proclaimed 2023 The Year of the Purge. I only have one kid left at home, but lots of toys, books, clothes, and general stuff remain. Also about eight boxes I kept from my father’s house. I plan on tackling the extra junk this month, so when the weather turns, I can work outside and not feel guilty about the mess inside. Physical purging also helps with mental purging, have you noticed? “Get rid of what no longer serves.” (Thank you, Yoga with Adriene.)
And, I am excited to hear author Ross Gay speak at next weekend’s Virginia Festival of the Book. He will be talking about his two books of essays, The Book of Delights and Inciting Joy.
I started The Book of Delights this week. Gay set out to write one essay each day for a year, starting and ending on his birthday. The topic is always something that brings him delight. His short essays include meandering, humorous, grateful thoughts, as well as some cussing. And his perspective on being a black man in America. Excellent stuff to combat my moody March Mayhem.
How do you feel about March? Can you add any suggestions for combating the mayhem?
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
