Self portrait
Found in Wikipeida
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer,[1] repeatedly, year after year. The US National Library of Medicine notes that "some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up.
Every Year around late January to late April SAD over comes me, So much so that i usually have to do something drastic to pull myself out of it before spring hits.
I have been tracking my SD each year, to the point where it's almost like an old friend arrving for the season. I know exactly what or how i will feel. My hair pulling gets worse, i take on some flabby winter weight, my skin is dry and itchy, I'm tired and lifeless and lack motivation, and my face looks dull and colorless. My SO starts to feel the same and then we go at it and are not exactly supportive of eachother at this time becuse we are so deep in our own funk, and that makes it all the more unbareable. I think I'm pretty much not alone in this.
I don't beleive a light therapy box would be of much use to me not do i want to waste a couple of hundred dollars finding out i'm possibly right, it's not so much the light and the shortness of day that one misses in the winter, it's the smell of the air, the way your skin feels, the layering and constriction of clothing, the foods available, the sounds of nature the dryness and lack of hyrdation your head and body feel.
I usually hibrinate from modeling and anything else in the winter, but last year i managed to do a few more shoots in the cold than planned, and this year i think i am ready to do battle with SAD.
I intend to treat SAD like i treat Tricholtillomania or any other depression, By keeping busy, I will try not to hybrinate, I may not be physically active, but i won't sit around letting my mind take over and festering about negative shit. Idle time is the devils workshop for real!
However i do reccomend a good fruit smoothie or a pina colada to trick the brain into thinking it's not winter ;)
2 comments:
Reading this made me a little uncomfortable as I am sitting here feeling the warmer weather and relieved winter is on the way out because I have felt the need to hibernate and lost so much time! Listen- light boxes make a HUGE difference when dealing with SAD. I lived in Alaska for years, and have certainly had some depression issues prior to that but my god you wouldn't believe what darkness like that will do to your mind. It isn't really the "therapy" portion of a box, it is leaving it on in a room and tricking yourself with the feeling of a warm sunny room. Plus you can get a doctor to write a prescription for it and your insurance will pony up part of the cost. Email me if you have questions, coldapes at the y.
I also struggle with SAD. I started taking antidepressants and I can say that helps A LOT. Granted I still notice a change because it's not like I up my dose for winter, but it's way more manageable. It had gotten to a point where I would start dreading winter in August. I decided that was no way to live. I'm with you though, I was doubtful of those light boxes and didn't want to shell out the cash to find out I was right.
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