Make the Season Bright: Surviving SAD

It’s so gloomy out. It was cloudy yesterday. It’s cloudy today. It’s cold and windy and snowy and rainy. Yuk.

It’s gloomy inside, too. I’m afraid I’ve gone to the dark side.

I don’t want to do a darn thing.

Yesterday, we went to Star Tree Farms to cut down a Christmas tree. That’s when the “wintry mix” weather walked into my brain and kicked off its shoes.

You see, I didn’t want to kill a tree. After my husband deftly severed the trunk with a hand saw, my daughter counted the rings. “Twelve!” she declared with enthusiasm. We had cut the little tree’s life short. I remember when I was twelve—it was a great age.

And I don’t want to decorate a dead tree, either. The laying on of lights is slated for tonight.

I know; it’s sad. It happens every year about a week before Christmas. Yup, I’m pretty sure I have it: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

During my annual physical, I shared my SAD suspicions with my doctor and queried her about light therapy boxes. She said they work.

According to WebMD, “Most people with seasonal affective disorder become depressed in the fall and winter, when days are shorter and sunlight is limited. Although researchers are still studying the exact cause of SAD, some believe the body’s 24-hour biological clock (circadian rhythms), which controls sleep/wake cycles, may be affected by seasonal changes of light and darkness and that subsequent biochemical changes in the brain may cause depression. Light therapy helps to “reset” your biological clock.”

So, I purchased a light box online a couple months ago: aVerilux HappyLite Mini.

I keep it on my desk at work and turn it on for 45-60 minutes in the morning while I check my e-mail. I think it helps. It can’t hurt (a filter blocks the harmful UV rays). The only problem is that I have to leave the light box at work since it isn’t particularly portable. Hence, my weekend woes: I’m supposed to use the thing every day. I’ll have to wait ‘til Monday to buy another one since I’m totally useless at the moment. I’m snuggled into an oversized armchair with a warm computer on my lap. I hope I make it to Monday. Sigh.

Seasonal Affective Disorder from SleepEducation.com