Beating the Rainy Blues...

It’s getting close to summer time, but what on earth happened to the weather? Outside it is miserable, overcast, and wet. The temperature is 50° (10 ℃). For some not seeing the sun is ok, while the rest of us start to feel more lethargic and irritable. The worst part of it is the incessant desire to eat something preferable hot and stodgy topped off with a decadent piece of cake or apple pie. Afterwards curling into bed and falling asleep till dinner time.

The weather affects your mood... why?
It’s is easy to become lethargic or miserable when the weather outside stinks, but what happens when it effects other areas in your life?
Many people face these or stronger feelings which occur during the wintry months and often linger till the weather warms up. We all notice variations of how the weather affects us.

Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is when mood change is affected by the weather. SAD is related to light and the effects that low light or lack of light has on our bodies. The affects can be anywhere from irritability to lack of motivation. The problem comes when these feels intensify to depression and suicide. The symptoms can also include difficulty concentrating, weight gain, and increase in fatigue to name a few.

So what can you do to beat the seasonal blues away? First, seek professional help so that you can be diagnosed properly. Having a few of these symptoms doesn’t automatically mean you have SAD. As always, maintain a healthy diet and supplement with vitamins - omega-3 is said to be good for helping to relieve a variety of ailment like depression. Don’t stop exercising - you may not have the inclination or energy but exercise will help to pull you out of a slump when feeling blue.

Light therapy anyone? Light therapy is said to be very beneficial as the body needs a certain amount of vitamin D which is often missing in the light depraved lives we lead.

How you ask? Well the average person wakes up and goes about their morning routine. During daily light hours most people work and are often stuck in an office or cubical. By the end of work it is often dark outside and you go home have dinner and slump in front of the tube. A few hours later you to bed and continue the monotonous cycle day after day becoming more zombie like.

So light therapy works typically by sitting in front of the light device for anywhere from a few minutes to an hour a day. Most users notice a vast improvement on their overall well being without the harmful UV rays that can be obtained from the sun.

Light therapy uses a special “light box” and you can’t get the same affect by sitting near a normal light as it is not the same thing. Some people who go tanning also notice that they feel better; however, indoor tanners can have harmful side effects if not used properly. Light therapy is usually given under the guide of a physician but light boxes are currently available on the market for regular home use as well.

If you have a certain amount of blues when the weather changes get it looked at and find a solution to bettering your health.