It was that way for me as a young person, and into my twenties. I’d blame my blues or depression on other things, like job problems, boyfriend problems, or health problems, not realizing that my problem was caused by winter itself.
This isn’t a good problem to have if you have lived most of your life in the northern part of the United States. No wonder I was a basket case when I lived in the Twin Cities. There were winters in the ‘70s and ‘80s when I wondered why I was still living there. The only good thing about living in Detroit is that it’s a few degrees south in latitude, so winter ends about two weeks sooner than it does in Minnesota.
I know of people who have terrible cases of SAD, unable to cope with life at all without the aid of plenty of medication and light therapy. Fortunately, I'm not among those poor souls.
However, I’m still a person who dreams of living where I will never see snow or winter's wrath again. That’s right, a deserted tropical island would be a perfect place for me to live out my golden years. I surround myself with houseplants that grow outdoors in California: rosemary, bay, bougainvillea, orchids, philodendron, and bird of paradise. As soon as frost is no longer an issue, they all go outside to soak up real rays of sunlight. They get healthy and lush with four months of summer, bulking up for the six months they will strain to get enough light.
It’s not time to reposition my houseplants outside. Obviously, with nine inches of snow in the forecast, that would be foolhardy.
It’s also not yet time to give up my antidepressant medication. Two more weeks, maybe three, when the sun gains strength and the Arctic chill is forced back to where it belongs, maybe then I’ll wean myself slowly and get outside.
It’s not spring until the SAD woman sings.
Article comments
1 - andi
hope u sing soon :-)
2 - Dr. Juliann Mitchell, PhD
Joanne,
Thanks for sharing. Hope to hear you singing very soon, maybe even yodeling.
Best wishes
3 - Joanne Huspek
Thanks.
It's sunny but cold and lingering snow on the ground. Nope. Not spring yet.