I’m generally energetic. Life just happens and ideas flow.

I’ve been depressed. And it took months of rest and medication.

Then I’ve been somewhere else, somewhere that doesn’t have a name, but “The Doldrums” seems fitting.

The Doldrums refer to a phenomenon in equatorial parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans where low pressure can make the winds disappear, trapping sail-powered ships for days or weeks. There’s just no wind in the sails.

My pastoral doldrums are not bad enough to warrant time off but they also mean I’m not functioning normally. The hardest part is that often the Doldrums are predictable. They’re probably related to serotonin or barometric pressure or hormones or something I don’t fully understand. And not understanding is not a place I prefer to be. So, in addition to feeling “blah,” I beat myself up, assess my emotions, stress about how I got here and how I’ll get out of here, and worry about ...