The Pink Panel - March 2026

Moderated By Judith Lawrenson

Dear Pink Panel,

The short dark days and extra cold nights of this winter really took a toll on my mood. I’ve felt more down than up since the holidays. And March is a mixed bag of wind, rain, cold and hot—no beach days! I guess you can see my question coming. How can I get out of this down-in-the-dumps mood and spring forward?
All suggestions welcome!

Signed,
Kimberly


Answers from the Pink Panel

Judith Lawrenson, Moderator:
First of all, I can't tell by your letter just how “down in the dumps” you really are, so you must be the judge of that. I will ask you the question of whether or not you need to seek some kind of professional help. Depression can be very serious and is also very different from a seasonal sadness kind of feeling.  I will tell you that I suffer from seasonal sadness disorder to the point that my husband and I go away for two months every winter. Mine, however, is not anything that requires professional help, I just happen to hate cold weather. I grew up in a very hot climate and loved it.

My dear, if you just need cheering up, I have tons of suggestions that have worked for me in the past. First is the obvious—get away for a while if you can—even for a weekend. If that is not possible, try to embrace the cold as much as you are able. Bundle up and sit by the fire with a hot drink. Eat lots of yummy soup. Wear fun fuzzy socks, buy an undershirt or soft jammies  Decide to be bulky. Turn up your electric blanket, plan to stay cozy and wait it out. 

Or.... do just the opposite. Make the decision to get up and get out. Go for a walk. Be sure to wear your warmies. This is not a test, you know, it just means go outside and move around! Call a friend and see what they are doing. Go to a movie. Get a facial or a massage. Go to the Pink Partini or put on an old exercise DVD like Denise Austin—laugh at the leg warmers! Take a long hot bath, put on your nicest bathrobe and watch The Three Amigos or Pretty Woman. Just get on with it in a good way, the best way you can.

Finally, at the risk of repeating myself, if your symptoms persist and you have any harmful or suicidal thoughts, seek help at once!  Have a great March…you can do it!

 

The Final Word, Elizabeth Millen:

Kimberly, I love that Judith wants you to assess if you are simply feeling blah or seriously depressed. These are two very different situations. So, I will reiterate the importance of getting help with depression, as it is a very real and debilitating illness. Your doctor can help!

Now, let’s talk about beating the winter blues. First off, those crazy cold days we experienced this year are likely behind us. Although, the worse ice storm I can remember growing up in SC was in March and lasted 10 days. It’s rare, but it can happen. But it doesn’t matter because we can’t control the weather; we can only make the best of it.

March touts the only day of the year with an action command—March fourth! And that’s what I encourage you to do. There are so many fun festivals happening in the Lowcountry in March that it’s hard to waste any time feeling blah. Get your calendar out and start plotting your active fun days ahead.

Pink Magazine will be at the Bluffton Flower Show Festival on March 21. We are hosting a Pound Cake Bake Off contest. Are you a baker? If so, start perfecting your recipe to enter your cake in the contest. It’s hard to feel meh if you win best pound cake in the Lowcountry. You won’t get a tiara, but the win is just as sweet.

There’s also the Hilton Head St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Hilton Head Wine and Food Festival, the famous Island Rec Center Wingfest, the Bluffton St. Patrick’s Golf Cart Parade and Block Party, and Palooza in the Park Concert and Oyster Roast in Port Royal. This is just to name a few fab events.

Having something to look forward to always breaks the blahs. I encourage you to make your own fun—plan a game night with friends or get a group together for trivia night at Nala’s Beach Bar & Grill. Go sing Karaoke somewhere or head over to Savannah for a comedy night. A change of scenery always ignites fresh vibes—it makes you suddenly feel more alive. Here’s something that’s fun—a Savannah bar crawl ghost tour!

I also recommend taking walks in nature or a sunrise walk on the beach. Ask friends to meet you at your favorite waterfront restaurant for drinks and take in the sunset. Have a party. Plant a container garden. Rearrange a room by moving all the furniture around. Spring clean! Just thinking about this stuff gets me excited for springtime, Easter, beach days, and all the wonderful times ahead.

Kimberly, I’m not sure what floats your boat, but I can assure you it’s out there just waiting for you to engage. The key is to get your neurons firing differently, and that takes intentionally calling off the pity party that’s settled into your brain and jumping into new stimulating plans. And one more thing, the blahs are escalated by technology, social media, doomscrolling, excessive news watching, and binge television. So, if you’re doing any of that stuff, stop.

If all this fails, go pet a dog or cat at your local animal rescue, or better yet, volunteer. Helping gives you purpose, and it’s hard to feel blah when you have a purpose.

Are you ready, Kimberly? On the count of three, let’s spring forward. One…two…three… March 4th!

 

 

 The Final Word, Elizabeth Millen: Judith, both you and Brooke have opened a can of worms with this question. Many know I was married for 25 years before it was all said and done, and I want to clarify there was no physical abuse. Many would wonder why I waited 25 years. There are many reasons: 1. My parents had a terrible 55-year marriage, so I thought you’re supposed to hang in there no matter what—’til death do you part. 2. I always questioned if my expectations were too much—was it my fault? 3. I was scared and think I may have justified that what I had was probably better than the unknown. There’s a lot more, but here’s where my bravery came in. I had seen a life coach who was a former psychologist with a Ph.D. Though it took me eight years after stopping my sessions, I finally initiated splitting. I could write an entire book about this, so I’m going to skip ahead and get to the gist of the matter.

In my coaching sessions, I always wanted to know why—about everything. My coach finally convinced me that “why” doesn’t matter. It’s what you plan on doing with a situation moving forward that matters most. Additionally, almost every week, she would ask me by name, “Elizabeth, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” What always got me with this question is the word “one.” We have ONE life! After being asked this more than 100 times, one day I decided I could not go to my grave with this being my great love affair. So, I got up the nerve to split. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I cried for more than 100 days in a row. Even when you are clear-minded and confident you’re doing the right thing, it is hellacious. Hollywood could have filmed our final court hearing as one of the most emotionally painful scenes ever to be filmed. I sobbed with my head down on the courtroom table for the entire duration of the hearing. Remember, I initiated this. The judge considered rescheduling. I don’t think he had ever seen anything like it.

But here’s the alternative—stay in a marriage with a person who you are supposed to feel the safest with, be the happiest with, be sacred with, who is absolutely not that person and never could or would be. In your case, Brooke, do you want your one wild and precious life to be literally at the violent hand of your husband? Is that even a husband? It’s definitely not love! When in doubt go back to how the Bible defines love so clearly. It tells us exactly what love is and what it isn’t. If you’re living in the “isn’t” column and feel you can’t get back to a relationship that exudes the “Love is” column —make a change. The sooner the better, if you know it won’t get better. Don’t give the best years of your life to someone who doesn’t treasure them and want the best for you. You will be better than fine in the long run. Just don’t get bogged down in the divorce process, remember you are being rescued from a life that no longer has your best interests at heart. The divorce process is the path to freedom—make it a positive one.

If you have a question for The Pink Panel, email Judith Lawrenson at at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The Pink Panel will do their best to give thought-provoking guidance. Remember, panel members’ ages range from 13 to 80, so you are bound to get a wide variety of advice.

Meet This Month's  Panel-----------------------------------

- Judith Lawrenson: Pink Panel Moderator, freelance writer, volunteer, and educator

- Elizabeth: publisher of Pink Magazine, business owner, mom, writer, observer of life and human behavior

Would you like advice from The Pink Panel? Email Judith your question at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..