Time for Exercise

With winter really hitting some areas (like my sister in Seattle, where they’re having an unusually rough winter this year), many people find their moods just a little or a lot gloomier. These days it’s not just winter blues or whatever you may want to call it. Lots of people consider it to be Seasonal Affective Disorder or S.A.D.

I’m lucky. Being in southern California we don’t really get gloomy winters most years. Today is bright and sunny, with rain expected over the weekend. I joked about the last two days we had rain being really polite, as it only rained overnight, with the days still being mostly sunny. People living in my area don’t suffer from SAD very often.

But many people really do have problems. The lack of sunlight can really impact their lives. And so they may find SAD Lamps really helpful.

The idea behind SAD lamps is that the lack of sunlight causes your body to produce more melatonin and less serotonin, resulting in depression, so using such a lamp can help to alleviate the problem. With potential symptoms including depression, anxiety, lethargy, irritability and many other issues, those impacted may want to get the easiest form of help possible.

The nice thing about a SAD lamp is that you don’t have to go see your doctor if you don’t want to. You can, and if you’re really depressed you probably even should, if only to make sure you’re taking the right steps. But if your doctor recommends drug therapy, ask about lamp therapy instead. I don’t know about you, but I would far rather have a SAD lamp in my home treating me than take a drug. And that’s not just my inability to swallow pills talking.

The winter blues don’t have to make you miserable. You can fight back naturally.