At least, that’s what I WANT to be saying.
\nI know that Mother Nature has just given us a teaser. I have no doubt that we will return to the deep freeze for a while yet. Last year, March was a miserable month. Yet, it’s supposed to be in the fifties for the next few days, and we are all ready to celebrate the warm weather.<\/p>\n
At least, that’s what I WANT to be saying. I know that Mother Nature has just given us a teaser. I have no doubt that we will return to the deep freeze for a while yet. Last year, March was … Continue reading
\nMy mother has lived with us for the past fifteen years. It became obvious early on that she didn’t do well during winter. If we’d had relatives in the South, I would have shipped her off for a little R&R. I now work with her to help her overcome some of the worst of the effects of winter. We make sure that she is busy on gray days, and that she faces away from the windows. We tend to have a lot of lights on during the winter, and we keep to a regular schedule of activities. Oddly, when we purchased our SUV, and she could hoist herself into the passenger seat (with the bun warmers), getting out became easier. Physical exercise helps to alay some of the depression that comes with the gray weather.
\nAlthough it hasn’t been diagnosed by a doctor, I’d say my mother may have Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. SAD is winter depression which results from a biochemical imbalance in the hypothalmus due to shortening of the daylight hours and lack of sunlight in winter. My mother is an avid sun watcher. She can tell me when it’s obvious that the angle of the sun has changed by the way her sitting room looks at dawn, and by the response of the plants that grow in her windows. By mid-February, she’s ready for Spring.
\nThese are some of the symptoms of SAD: SLEEP PROBLEMS (usually a desire to sleep, and difficulty staying awake), LETHARGY (fatigue and inability to carry out normal routine, OVEREATING (craving for carbs and sweets), DEPRESSION,
\nSOCIAL PROBLEMS, ANXIETY, LOSS OF LIBIDO, MOOD CHANGES. Most suffers of SAD have weakened immune systems, and are more vulnerable to infections and other illnesses.
\nOkay……now that I’ve done a little research, perhaps I have it, too. But, I know that I have more control over it than my mother. So, my game plan will be to flood the house with light, to exercise when I would rather consume carbs, and to find regular social activities that prevent me from slipping into hermit mode. DH has also suggested that I sit in the dining area off the kitchen where the plants are bathed in light from grow lights. Not a bad suggestion!
\nAt any rate….I’m looking forward to Spring. I was flipping through plant catalogs, trying to design the gardens for the coming year, and I can’t wait to get outside again.
\nIf you think you may have SAD, visit this website<\/a>, and see what they have to say. Perhaps you can find ways to head it off next Fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"