SAD. . . . but true . . .

In the words of John Denver . . .

      "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy . . . . sunshine in my eyes can make me cry . .
        Sunshine on the water looks so lovely . . .  sunshine almost always makes me high . . ."



SAD. . . . what is it??  According to Wikipedia, "Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, was considered a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer.  It is no longer classified as a unique mood disorder but is now a specifier called With seasonal pattern for recurrent major depressive disorder that occurs at a specific time of the year and fully remits otherwise. Although experts were initially skeptical, this condition is now recognized as a common disorder."

With the weather here in Germany being 99% cloudy and rainy (or so it seems through my experience), SAD is actually quite common here and should be recognized and remedied early to avoid the unpleasant feelings that accompany it.  There was recently an article published in the military newspaper here dealing with this issue . . . I guess I hadn't realized that it had already affected both Clayton and I until I read the article.

*random fact . . . there are about 188 days of sunshine in California compared to 69 days of sunshine in my village in Germany . . . it seems more drastic than that living here*

The U.S. 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 may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up." The condition in the summer can include heightened anxiety.

There are several ways to combat this disorder such as light therapy (actual lights you buy for your house and sit in front of them a couple times a day), medication, vitamin D and melatonin supplementation.  So far we have tried to remedy our symptoms with vitamin D and catching every little bit of sunlight we can get.  Today I was actually able to take the pups out for a 20 minute walk in the sunshine in between moments of pouring down rain.  It made my heart smile to enjoy that 20 minutes of bliss . . . . California how I miss your sunny, blue skies . . .

Warning: to all of my friends and family, I shall be returning in November with pale skin . . . I will look sickly, no color to brighten my cheeks . . please give me time to reclaim my Californian looks :-)