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I’m SAD, Where’s The Sun?
To say this season is my least favorite is an understatement. It is officially winter and that means ‘cold’ and ‘clouds’.
Only a few years did I start to take note of something odd. In the fall I began to feel a very real mental strain. The days became shorter (as did my energy levels), there was less sunlight, and colder temperatures. As someone who keeps late hours, seeing the sunset at 5:30pm and not rise again until 7:30 am started to seriously affect me.
Even not being a typical early riser, I usually thought most clearly when I first woke up. I was confused as to why I suddenly couldn’t get out bed. I just wanted to sleep and sleep. I was starting to feel guilty about my atypical lack of focus and annoyed that I was no longer capitalizing on my best working hours (whenever they happened to be).
After three years, a light bulb went off in my head. I realized that my tiredness and depressive state came during the gloomy winter months. That was the clue that pointed me toward a fitting solution.
I’m SAD, you’re SAD, we’re all S-A-D
It didn’t take much research to stumble upon Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Like many others, my body was finding it hard to adjust to the change. My circadian rhythm (natural biological clock) was out of balance, which is needed to…