Don’t get me wrong, I love snow. But the cold temperatures and not seeing the sun for days on end is what makes me dislike winter. Not seeing sunlight puts me in a bit of a slump but I get through it. However, I have a friend who struggles much more than me in the winter. She suffers from seasonal depression, or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). This is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons. Most people with SAD experience it from the start of fall through the winter months. It is very rare for someone to experience SAD during spring and summer. My friend has seen specialists in order to help her experience happier months but what they prescribe for her doesn’t always help.
I asked her to describe how she feels. She told me its like there is a constant black cloud following her, holding her back from doing what she enjoys because it’s cold and dark. She doesn’t like rain, so she always says that it feels like she’s constantly being rained on during the winter. She never knew how to control it in the past, and she would never leave her room unless she had to. I always had noticed her struggles, but I never knew how to help, and I felt so bad for her.
I decided to sit down with her one day and do some research. We wanted to know what she could do that the doctors didn’t prescribe. We stumbled upon a piece of technology called a Happy Light.
This is a special light that stimulates the body’s receptors of sunlight without the harmful exposure to UV rays. People that sit in front of this light for at least a half an hour a day have shown significant change in mood and how they feel about starting their day. I told my friend that it might help her, so we found one on Amazon for about $30. It is also recommended that people who struggle with SAD should start their day doing something they enjoy, and in her case, this was coloring. She was very unsure about trying this routine; she thought it was just some Hollywood façade and spending half an hour to herself every morning was just a waste of time. However, she began to do it every morning, with my encouragement, and I have not seen her with so much energy in a long time. For a few months now, she has been waking up every morning and immediately sitting at her desk for half an hour in front of her happy light, coloring. She gives the pictures she colors to her friends or hangs them on her wall to remind her that every day is a new opportunity.
If you know someone who struggles with SAD, ask them if there is anything you can do to help. If they find something similar to what my friend does, it doesn’t have to include coloring. They can try reading, writing, meditation, cooking and many more things. It all comes down to how they feel.