How difficult is it to recognize patterns? When you’re living through them… extremely.
Case in point: It was recently pointed out to me that every year I have a hell of a time going through (or living through) November <-> March. This realization came at a time when I was actually “open” to the notion that such was possible and I followed it up by reviewing some blog entries of the last couple of years. The extremely private entries definitely shed light on the truth.
Heh. That’s almost a pun. “Shed light”. During the yearly months when we lose so much sunlight… S.A.D. ? Me? Yes. I’ve known it for a long time, but have honestly believed that I’ve been much better in the last handful of years. Guess I wasn’t.
So, I took a little look around the world today and found a couple of items that illuminated me. In a note on “What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)” comes the explanation that “We all suffer from the winter blues occasionally. SAD sufferers experience the “blues” much more acutely. They may be constantly fatigued, sleep too much, gain weight, be withdrawn, lose interest in sex, lack alertness and be irritable. They feel unable to function normally. Their life is on hold till spring. SAD is caused by lack of light, usually during fall and winter and is characterized by annual recurrent symptoms. Our modern lifestyle deprives us of sunlight. ”
Constantly fatigued? Check! Sleep too much? Uhm.. no. Gain Weight? Nov/Dec, sure ;). Be withdrawn? Not really. Lose interest in sex? Not at all! Lack alertness? Hmm.. sometimes. Be Irritable? Oh. Yeah.
I know a few times there have been other “irritants” which haven’t helped (sometimes stress from the day-job, other times like the early-year financial crunches) but there’s definitely *something* there. Okay, so what is there to do? Pieces taken from the Northern Light Technologies brochure:
Helpful Suggestions for coping with seasonal affective disorder!
1 • Begin light treatment early in autumn.
2 • Try making bright light therapy part of your daily winter routine, while having breakfast or reading the morning paper.
3 • Educate yourself, family and close friends regarding S.A.D. to gain their understanding and support.
4 • Reduce mild winter depressive symptoms by exercising daily – outdoors when possible to take advantage of natural light.
5 • Get as much light as possible and avoid dark environments during daylight hours in winter.
6 • Avoid staying up late, this disrupts your sleep schedule and biological clock.
7 • Stay on a regular sleep/wake schedule.
8 • Conserve energy by managing time wisely and avoiding or minimizing unnecessary stress.
So, what am I going to do? Keep #1 in mind for 2008. Purchase myself a Light Box and start #2. Start up a schedule for #4. Make sure I go for a walk each and every sunny day at lunch time for #5 including opening up all my window blinds when the afternoon sun doesn’t glare me. Try to incorporate something for #6 and #7 that is reasonable for my family. Build and maintain a priority list for #8 so there’s less to worry about. I already have one for day-job, it only makes sense to get one for home-life, too.
In summary… I’m sorry if I’ve been a total or even partial shit to everyone who’s crossed my path in the last 3 months…