Brace Yourself - winter is coming!

The winter season can leave us all hurting at some point. Being aware of what may come is the first step in preventing it from happening in the first place. 

Here are the top 5 dangers to watch out for this winter:

1. Depression - Less daylight hours can often lead to increased feelings of depression - a condition called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). The decreased physical activity during the season can also bring you down. And while the holidays are times to gather with friends and loved ones, you may feel some depression when remembering those who are no longer with you, or if you have no one to gather with this year.
2. Achy muscles and joints - Cold temperatures flare up arthritis, fibromyalgia, and those old injuries from decades past that you forgot all about. Your body will also let you know - loudly - that it does NOT appreciate you deep cleaning the house or slaving away in the kitchen for holiday parties.
3. Increased stress levels - "I've got to get presents for the kids. I wonder what my in-laws would want? Will I have enough food for everyone? Wow, turkeys are expensive this year! Will the dog like the people coming over? Will they like the dog? What if they're not dog people? Why is this parking lot so full? Man, this guy is driving so SLOW! It's only snow! Geeze, that guy is driving like a bat outta hell! He'd better not wreck right in front of me on this ice! Oh shoot! I forgot to get a gift for Great Aunt Mayble!" 
4. Car accidents - Slushy roads, snow that falls faster than MODoT can keep up with, and St. Louis's infamous ice storms all lead to a sharp increase in the frequency of car accidents. No vehicle nor driver is immune to the risk. You can drive so safely your old driving instructor would have been proud, but that won't keep someone else from hitting you. And while some vehicles have 4-wheel-drive, that doesn't mean they have 4-wheel-STOP. Did you know that the symptoms from whiplash can take up to 20 YEARS to show up? And that if you wait that long to get treated, the arthritis in your neck is permanent?
5. Slips and falls - Black Ice. It lurks on steps, sidewalks, and driveways, just waiting to become a major pain in your butt. And your wrist. And your ankle. And just about everything else.