GENEVA WINTER BLUES

The brown waves of fog toss up to me
Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,
And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
An aimless smile that hovers in the air
And vanishes along the level of the roofs.
- T.S. Eliot

So dull and dark are the November days.
The lazy mist high up the evening curled,
And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;
The place we occupy seems all the world.
- John Clare

What a fog! Plane been buzzin' around overhead for the last half hour. Must be like trying to find your way through the inside of a cow. I never did see such a country. Even the birds are walkin'.
- Dalton Trumbo

Residing in the Geneva area or in a Swiss valley isn't always fun and can have its downside. As a matter of fact, winters in Calvin's city are mostly known for being gruesomely bland, appallingly dark and hideously characterless. So if you are a person who loves light and azure firmaments, and if winter blues are your nemesis, then you'd better not stay there during the cold season, otherwise chances are high that you’ll go loopy and depression will creep on you frequently.

You see, this small canton at the end of Lac Léman is embedded among mountains (the Jura in the north, the Salève in the south, the Vuache in the northwest, the Mont-de-Sion in the southwest, and the Voirons in the southeast) and it is literally situated in a basin ("La Cuvette Genevoise" as we call it in French), hence a dull, dense, murky and damp sea of high-altitude fog regularly covers this particular region of good old Switzerland and night tends to fall very early when sunlight is scarce.

Day after day, and sometimes week after week, we are deprived of luminosity. This situation can be outright unnerving, testing and oppressing as it feels as though we would be living in a closed box or in a kind of jail. This makes us prone to cabin fever symptoms such as mood swings, restlessness, tiredness, lack of motivation, lethargy, discontent and general discomfort.

Even for someone like me who adores Jack Frost's chilly embrace and enjoys heavy mist, it is unbearable in the long term and although I am quite an optimistic person by nature, I often suffer from low spirits. Boringly glum weather transforms me into an apathetic, grumpy, anxious and miserable lump of flesh.

In my opinion, there's nothing really comparable to bright hazy November days, radiant December afternoons, jovial January mornings and fiery February sunsets! This period of the year can be so joyful provided that our brightest star blesses us with its reddish rays, vivifying power and soothing warmth which's impact on our mental wellbeing is far superior to that of any drug and a hundred times more healing than any chemical medicine. The perfect cure for a numb and bruised soul!

But what do we do when the heavens above refuse to open up and we are stuck under a persistently funereal blanket of clouds? Well, there are many ways to fight against the negative side effects of this irritating nebula. For example, you can listen to pleasant music, have a relaxing bubble bath, read a book, cook a uplifting meal or bake a comforting treat, dance madly to your favorite song, light scented candles and meditate, meet friends, go out for a reinvigorating walk, break out of a rut, cozy up your home, wear bright colours, take up a project, host a movie night or visit museums. The options are endless.

On the condition that you keep busy and peel your limp body off the sofa, things can only get better in the little head of yours. Physical and intellectual activity will reduce your receptivity to the greyness outside and will push the gloomy thoughts out of your mind. And remember to smile (think positive) and eat lots of healthy vitamin-laden foods as both impact on your overall welfare and help you cope with melancholy. In this manner, time will pass a lot faster and the vernal equinox will be at your doorstep before you know it.

Hello March! Spring is almost here and my little heart is bursting with anticipation...