In a surprising newsflash, it’s gloomy, grey, raining and 45° in the Puget Sound area today. This is pretty much the case from November through February here, with occasional rare sunshine sightings. (Christmas was a lovely exception!)

I don’t mind the rain so much, I still get out and walk and I prefer cool weather. I just have a tough time with the gloom. It was an issue in Alaska; it’s an issue here.

I’m one of those people that’s energized by sunshine, although not too much of it! Hot weather can be a bit much. But sunny and 60 is absolute heaven for me. It revs my metabolism, amps up my mood, puts a spring in my step and reduces my need for sleep.

There’s a name for the opposite side of that spectrum, the winter gloom and doldrums. It’s seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Its symptoms are similar to those of clinical depression:

• Depression
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Loss of energy
• Social withdrawal
• Oversleeping
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
• Weight gain
• Difficulty concentrating and processing information

As I struggle with clinical depression too, I can actually tell a difference. SAD, for me, primarily consists of sluggishness, sleepiness, withdrawal, and carbohydrate craving. If I could hibernate in a bakery for the winter and not emerge until spring, I would.

The minor environmental changes I can make to help with this include:

• Make my environment sunnier and brighter. Open blinds and sit closer to bright windows while at home or in the office. Use full spectrum lights and turn them on during gloomy days.

• Get outside. Take walks, sit on a bench and soak up the sun. Even on cold or cloudy days, outdoor light can help.
• Exercise regularly. Physical exercise helps relieve my stress and anxiety, and the days I don’t want to go are the days I most need it. (like today!) The bright lights of the gym or pool can help, too.
• Spend time around people. I make plans to spend time around others, even if I am feeling withdrawn and antisocial. I go into the Seattle office, get together with family, go to the pool or the gym on a scheduled basis.

One of the most common forms of SAD therapy prescribed is a light box – phototherapy. The light should be 10,000 lux, and at that intensity, the amount of time required in front of the light is 30 minutes at 12-18″ distance. You don’t have to look directly into the light, placing it to the side is fine, but your eyes need to be open.

I got my SAD light out this week and am trying to use it first thing every morning. Spending a half hour before going to the pool at 6am will be a bit of a challenge.

So, if you drive by my house first thing in the morning and see an intense blue-white light in my front window, it’s not an alien interrogation, just therapy for the seasonal blues. Hopefully with that, regular exercise and paying a little more attention to hyperscheduling, I’ll be my usual cheerful self again pretty quickly.
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Previous posts on depression:
Depression Take II – Jun 2009
Living with Depression – Jan 2008