Sue Woolfe

I am sad.  Not just sad, but I think I may actually be suffering from seasonal affective disorder, also referred to as SAD. Doctors now know that SAD is a type of depression related to changes in the seasons.  For me, I can feel the symptoms begin in about November and last until the first hint of Spring.  I often say I am solar powered, I always feel better when it’s warm and sunny.

My symptoms usually start mild and then become more severe as the season progresses.

Symptoms of Sad include:

• Feeling depressed
• Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Having low energy
• Having problems sleeping (in my case, it’s more having problems getting out of bed!)
• Changes in appetite or weight (oh yeah! I’ve been eating everything that isn’t bolted down)
• Feeling sluggish or agitated
• Having trouble concentrating (I can so relate)
• Feeling hopeless
• Thoughts of suicide or death

I am thinking of investing in something I heard about.  It is a light therapy lamp that simulates daylight indoors.  I hear they improve your mood and energy as they trigger the natural release of serotonin.  They are also supposed to improve your sleep and focus by regulating your natural melatonin.   I think it’s worth investing in.  I will take anything that improves my mood and energy in the winter !

This cold weather is starting to wear me down. I have had to get out the winter quilt and October is barely half over. I have a bad feeling that this winter is going to be a very cold winter. I just hope that doesn’t mean a lot of ice or snow, too. I can turn on the heat to fight the cold. But the ice and snow – that is too much to deal with.

Tomorrow is the first day of October. My favorite month (September) is now officially over and winter is right around the corner, what fun, not! I hate winter, don’t like the cold or Christmas. I come from a fairly large family and Christmas is just a hassle each year trying to please everyone in so many ways, sigh…….

Daylight Savings Time will come to an end soon and the days will be getting shorter and colder with passing of each day and week. Each year I wonder why I haven’t moved to a warmer location, but I don’t think that I could be that far away from friends and family for any length of time.

I hate to see summer leave us. As much as I love the Autumn season, it just means that winter is on it’s way and all the horrible things that come along with winter. Besides the cold, the snow, the dangerous traffic, it also means that they holiday seasons are on the horizon.

I used to love Christmas as a kid, but now that I’m older it really is just a hassle from start to beginning. Bah Hum Bug” is my attitude, I’m sorry to admit. But that is the way that it is and I can just take it for what it is and get it over and done with and wait with anticipation for spring and summer to arrive to save me.