Are You s.a.d.?

We are just coming out of the darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – the Winter Solstice. The sun is still rising late: It doesn’t go up as high in the sky for most of the day, and it is still setting early – although sunset about 1 minute later every couple of days, thank goodness! Are you finding that when everyone around you is feeling “merry and bright,” that you’re struggling? It might be S.A.D.

Got S.A.D.?

When I lived in New York City, I was blue every winter. Starting around November every year when the light began to wane, I would find that my mood would dip.

I never wanted to get out of bed in the morning, and no matter how much I slept; I was always tired; I was irritable, and I wasn’t interested in doing the things that I loved, like hanging out with my friends. 

It’s a reality that it’s often hard to find sunlight in New York City in the winter because the buildings are so tall. There are many streets and avenues where the sun is only out on one side of the street, or by two or three o’clock in the afternoon – even though the sun is still out – the buildings have blocked it entirely. I didn’t know why when I took a winter vacation to the Caribbean in January, I would come home feeling myself again, feeling alive, feeling my mood elevated and my sleep being better, and my irritability level had dropped.

I thought it was just because I’d been on vacation – and that was part of it – but mostly it was because I had gotten consistent sunlight for a week solid. I never put together the fact that it had something to do with the amount of sunlight I was getting. Not only was I sad in the winter, I had S.A.D. – Seasonal Affective Disorder.

I had no idea I was suffering from it, until a friend of mine who had lived on the West Coast most of her life, moved to New York City, and within a few months, she was severely depressed. When she got diagnosed with S.A.D., I realized I had pretty much all of the symptoms. 

Now, I’m not a medical doctor or a psychiatrist, but I am somebody who has lived with this condition. And so I wanted to write this post as kind of a PSA about S.A.D., because you may find that you suffer from it too, or you may know someone who does. 

What are the symptoms of S.A.D.?

The symptoms vary, but some typical ones are: Depression, loss of interest or pleasure in doing things – including lack of interest in sex – irritability, despair, and lack of hope.

For some people, they get very teary and they cry a lot, or they might get really anxious. Some people also crave carbohydrates, because it boosts their serotonin levels. 

Why Does it Happen?

Because of a lack of sunlight, our vitamin D levels drop, and it affects our serotonin levels. Serotonin is a mood regulating chemical in your body, so if that level drops, so does your mood.

It also affects the melatonin level in your body, which means your sleep is affected. Your circadian rhythm – your pattern of sleeping and being awake – gets affected. 

Like I said, when I was suffering from it, I didn’t want to get out of bed. And no matter how many hours of sleep I got, I was dragging all day. I was always exhausted. The good news is there are ways to deal with S.A.D.

In my case, I got a specific kind of light box that mimics sunlight, and I sat in front of it every morning for about 30 to 45 minutes. It’s recommended to do it first thing in the morning, so it’s like the body responding to the sun rising, which also helps with your circadian rhythm.

I could do other things while I was being exposed to the light, which, by the way, isn’t UV light, so it’s not like I was getting a tan, and not like I was being exposed to dangerous light that could give me skin cancer. But while I was sitting in front of it, I read the morning paper, and I ate breakfast, and then I turned it off, and I went to work. 

I also started taking vitamin D per my doctor’s recommendation, which helped a lot, and made sure I got exercise every day – even if it was just a 15 minute walk, which also helped.

And I was very conscious of getting as much sunlight as I could. There are a lot of gray days in New York City in the winter, but I did what I could. 

Having S.A.D. is a big reason why I moved to Southern California. It helps that when I walk out of my house, there aren’t tall buildings here, so I am immediately in the sun. 

Even though I don’t need a light box anymore, because there are fewer gray days here in SoCal. I still make a concerted effort to be out in the sun for at least 20 minutes a day. 

Time to See a Doctor?

In addition to using a light box, some people will need to take antidepressant medication as well. Since S.A.D. typically happens in the winter, sometimes people will only need to take medication for a few months out of the year. But again, you need to talk to a doctor about that, to find out what’s best for you.

And so what can you do if you think you have it? There is a ton of information on the internet about it, so you can do research, and then you can go see a doctor. And if you and your doctor determine that you do have S.A.D. – because sometimes it could be other things like your thyroid, or clinical depression – then together you can make a plan.

And interestingly, S.A.D. isn’t just a winter thing: Some people actually get it in the summer. That’s called summer pattern S.A.D, and even though it’s far less common than the winter type, it’s also caused by changes in light, as well as shifts in heat and the time (think daylight savings).

Regardless of what time of year you experience S.A.D., help is possible, and so is feeling better. 

Now that we’re on the other side of the Winter Solstice, the light is starting to return and I, for one, am feeling the shift. 

So the prompt for this post is to do a bit of an inventory about the symptoms of S.A.D. Do you notice your mood, energy level, and motivation change this time of year? If the answer is yes, you might consider going to see your doctor about it. And if you think someone you love has it, you can gently encourage them to read up on it, and do the same.

This material may be protected by copyright.

Jean Campbell, LCSW, SEP, CET3, TTP, TEP offers ongoing psychodrama training groups in California, Utah and virtually, as well as offering one-time trainings in person and online.  In addition, she facilitates monthly online consultation groups for clinicians utilizing psychodrama and experiential therapy, and offers both CP and TEP exam prep classes virtually, to help those sitting for the exam to successfully pass.  She also offers personalized intensives for individuals, couples and families, and offers organizational staff training and/or team building.  Jean can be reached at actioninstitute@mac.com