Anyone SAD?

Seasonal affective disorder
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, also known as winter depression is an affective, or mood, disorder. Most SAD sufferers experience normal mental health throughout most of the year, but experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer. SAD is rare, if existent at all, in the tropics, but is measurably present at latitudes north of 30°N, or south of 30°S.

Seasonal mood variations are believed to be related mostly to light, not temperature. For this reason, SAD is prevalent even in mid-latitude places with mild winters, such as Seattle and Vancouver. Prolonged periods of overcast weather can also exacerbate SAD.

SAD can be a serious disorder and may require hospitalization.

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS:

I'm sure I have this. Actually, I think everyone who lives in Vancouver has this! You'd think that as residents of the city we'd be used to it, but not a day goes by in the winter where I don't hear complaining about the weather. Usually it's me.

Even on the overcast, although nice and WARM day we had on Sunday, I heard people say, "UGH, it was so overcast today". At least my poor umbrella got a break!

I always have problems with this that start in January and last until the sun comes out. It's so dreary and wet!

In last Sunday's torrential downpour, my parents had to put SANDBAGS in front of their back door, because the entire backyard was a lake! We've never seen it like that in the 25 years they've lived there! They phoned Home Depot to get some sandbags, then find out that they sell the empty bags for sand...but they don't sell sand. You know their slogan, right? "You Can Do It, We Can Help".

So they had to use grocery bags and steal the sand from the grandkid's sandbox. Unfortunately it wasn't good enough, and the water went over the bags and into the basement. Lucky for them, they'd piled blankets in front of the door, which managed to sop up all the water that came in.

I also think commuters get SAD more. I take 1 car, 2 trains, 5 buses (at least), walk for 20 - 30 minutes and wait exposed to the elements for goodness knows HOW long to get to and home from work. It's tough when you get to work with your pants half wet, windblown frizzy hair, soaking socks and freezing to the bone.

The definition mentions that SAD can require hospitalization. I, however, WORK at a hospital, so this will not do the trick for me. I just want to get away! If I had the money in my pocket, I'd be sitting on a lounge chair on a white sandy beach of the Mayan Riviera, half in the water to cool down my legs. I'd have my bathing suit and sunglasses on, and a Pina Colada (virgin, of course) in each hand.

But instead, I sit at my desk, with goosebumps that haven't gone away since November 24, 2006.

So this brings me to a question. Why do I live here if I can't stand the weather so much?

Hmmm.

Hmm.

Lets consider the alternatives:

• Any more North and I'd be covered in snow still
• Any more South and I'd be in the States
• Any more West and I'd be on an Island with even worse weather
• Any more East and I'd be in the Prairies

Enough said.

Now that I've got that off my chest...

Spring starts tomorrow! And any day Vancouver will start to brighten up, and show another colour besides grey. Then my blogging will pick up because I'll actually feel motivated to go outside and do crazy things!