Seasonal Confusion Disorder (SCD) :: How to Avoid SCD in Life (and in Birmingham)

0

I am someone who likes order. I like predictability. So you can imagine my confusion recently when it was almost 70 degrees . . . in January.

matching your goals to your season of lifeNotice I said confusion, and not sadness.

While it was nothing like I’ve been used to, as a recent Birmingham transplant from the North Country, I loved that I could be outside playing with the boys in the middle of January. I may have even sent a few pictures of us outside to our friends back in Ohio, who, just this past weekend, got dumped on by snow. I know, I shouldn’t have. But these are the same people who also saw pictures of me sweating it out here during our first Southern summer. Honestly, I think these nice days in the middle of January are nature’s way of saying thank you to those of us down here in the South for dealing with her hot flashes in the summer . . . and fall.

Since moving to Birmingham in June, I’ve learned that the South, at times, suffers from Seasonal Confusion Disorder (SCD).

While we’re on the topic of SCD, did you know your goals could suffer from the same ailment? I didn’t either, until I met Lara Casey.

Matching Your Goals to Your Season

matching your goals to your season of lifeI “met” Lara as I delved into the Powersheets Goal Planner for the first time this year. The goal of the Powersheets Planner is for you to uncover and set intentional goals, make an action plan to accomplish these goals, and to follow through and live out your goals. Through the prep work, I listened to Lara’s podcast, read the Cultivate What Matters Blog, and followed along on Instagram to learn how to be intentional with my 2019 goals.

I found the process refreshing and invigorating. One thing I really loved, and what changed my view on goal setting, was realizing that my goals need to match my season.

As Lara writes, we go through different seasons in life and each season brings different priorities, different responsibilities, and different capacity.

Looking back, SCD was a silent killer of my goals for so many years. I would set these lofty goals without taking into account the season of life I was in. For instance, the year my first son was born, I was feeling ambitious. One goal I set that year was to read two books a month. In another season, that may be a wonderful (and completely accomplish-able) goal; but with a newborn, a husband in medical school, and a demanding job outside of the house, it was simply unattainable. I was making summer goals during winter. No wonder I often got frustrated and my goals were getting left out in the cold by February.

One of the best takeaways from the Powersheets process for me has been this: be honest and realistic about the season of life you are in and then be intentional about matching your goals to the season (i.e. avoid SCD). Curing my goals of SCD made a world of difference. This year I feel organized, confident, and excited about my goals. And this is the first year I’m making real progress on my goals.  

Are Your Goals Suffering from SCD?

Matching your goals to your season of lifeHow about you? As we come out of the New Year’s honeymoon phase, how are you progressing on your goals? Feeling burnt out? Overwhelmed? If so, these may be signs of SCD. But there is a cure.

Scrap your sickly goals.

Take a breath. Take a step back. Grab that cup of coffee or glass of wine and check the weather. Assess the season you’re in, your capacity, your dreams, and refresh your goals to match your season.

This may not be the year to set a goal to get to the gym every day or to run a marathon. Maybe it’s the year to make the goal to get outside with your kids, or to take the dog for a walk once a day. Or heck, maybe this is your marathon year.

Through it all, give yourself grace. There is a season for everything, even your goals.

Now excuse me while I go unpack my summer clothes.

Previous articleA Guide to the Best Date Spots in Birmingham
Next articleMolten Chocolate Cake :: The Ultimate Dessert Recipe for any Valentine’s Day Celebration!
Jacklyn M
Jacklyn grew up in Pittsburgh, PA before moving to Atlanta, GA after her freshman year in high school. Jacklyn attended Belmont University in Nashville, TN where she majored in journalism and met her husband Ben. After college Jacklyn worked as a children's book publicist and worked on books by authors like Jack Hanna, Tim McGraw, George Foreman, Max Lucado, and Margaret Wise Brown. After three years as a publicist, Jacklyn decided to attend law school. Jacklyn earned her JD from the University of Cincinnati and practiced Labor and Employment law at a firm in Cincinnati, OH. While at the firm, Ben attended medical school and they had their two boys - Jackson Wilder (2 1/2) and Leo (8 months). After medical school Ben accepted a residency position at UAB so the McGlothlins headed to Birmingham. The McGlothlins now live in Bluff Park and can’t imagine a better place to raise their boys. While studying to take the Alabama Bar, Jacklyn is home with the boys in her new role as a “pediatric engineer” as her mom calls it. The jury is still out on who her toughest clients are - the two boys or some of her former firm clients.