Fighting the winter blues

February was rather a craptastic month for me. I felt so down, so depressed, worse than I’d ever felt in years, even though life really is pretty good.

The older I get, I’ve concluded, the more sensitive I am to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Two weekends ago I was absolutely wretched. And despite being aware of SAD, I found myself unable to get a handle on my moods. At the beginning of last week I constantly had to battle mood swings and emotional outbursts.

By the end of the week I was feeling a little more in control. I had ordered an SAD lamp to be delivered this week and I started reading Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project (another post in itself). This week, thanks to some of Gretchen’s ideas, the improved weather and having my SAD lamp on at my desk, I feel fantastic.

My doctor scoffs at the concept of SAD, so I think I shall get a new doctor because there’s something very Occam’s Razor about SAD and I think many people are misdiagnosed with depression and prescribed medication when all they need is a little more daylight.

Here’s a few articles on SAD:

The SAD Artist
It’s Time to Be SAD