Where Are You My Sun?
Day 16 or 17 or 75 without sun, I'm not sure which, I've lost count, but it's miserable! This morning there was a peek of sun for about 10 minutes at which time I got up from my desk and walked outside just so I could put my face up to the sun. A few moments of relief til it was back to gloomy clouds.
I've never really realized it before that I'm so affected by the lack of sunshine until I was talking to my doctor and she asked if I have noticed that the last few times I've visited her about my mental health issues have been in the spring and that this could be Seasonal Affective Disorder. Lightblulb! (in Gru's voice from Despicable Me of course) Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD - acronym seems a little too appropriate, don't you think?) I've heard of it before but never really saw a pattern in my episodes with depression that I would link it to the winter or spring time. At least I know to be cognoscente of it now. I know what to watch for and when to watch for it.
About 4 to 6 percent of people may have winter depression. Another 10 to
20 percent may have mild SAD. SAD is four times more common in women than
in men. Although some children and teenagers get SAD, it usually doesn't start
in people younger than age 20. - American Family Physician AAFP.org
One of the solutions my doctor suggested was getting a lamp for light therapy. Has anyone ever tried this? They aren't that expensive, so I may give it a shot if this is something that will help me. I looked at the forecast this week and it looks like we are going to get sun on Thursday! Thursday, ok, I can endure until Thursday. In the meantime, I've been doing the things I know make me happy. My Recipe. Another crazy little thing I've been doing is searching online for tropical places I want to visit or places I've been. I use Google Earth to drop right onto the resort and pretend I'm on the beach. You would be surprised at how well this works! Try it. I feel transported for a short time. Just enough to remind me that the sun will shine again!
There is also a great guided meditation on my Insight Timer app called "Exploring the Wilderness of Discomfort" by Sarah Blondin. She talks about in those moments of discomfort when we want to run away and go somewhere else in our mind, we must stay. It is in these moments of discomfort that we learn about ourselves. Lean into the discomfort and stay one moment longer. Take the lessons learned and forge on. Blondin offers many other podcasts and guided meditation through her "Live Awake" series that are absolutely incredible. She speaks to my soul.
Through meditation, virtual traveling and looking forward to when the sun will shine again, I'm making it through this period of no sunlight.
Do any of you struggle with S.A.D.? Even in it's mildest form, it sucks. Just want you to know you're not alone!
