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Cheyenne Rowe
Hey, 78-degree day (in March), I missed you man!
I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel like I shine when the sun shines. Stress, worries, even sadness disappears a little when it’s warmer.
But why is that?
According to our friends at the Mayo Clinic, these feelings of sadness when it’s cold and happiness when it’s not might be attributed to something called “Seasonal Affective Disorder” or SAD -- yes, really.
The Mayo Clinic website defines SAD as “a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons. SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year.”
Symptoms might start in the fall and continue into the winter, “sapping energy” and making a person feel moody.
The symptoms often resolve themselves in the spring and summer. Though this situation can be reversed (so that you’re sad in the warmer months) it is less common.
Obviously the degrees of SAD vary amongst people. As for me, I think I feel generally less motivated and gravitate toward a general “meh” feeling.
I know this because when this bout of warmer March weather we’ve been having started I felt like a whole new person. I was singing (loudly and badly) at the top of my lungs to the radio and I had a huge smile on my face. It felt great! Nothing else had changed other than the sunshine!
Now, there is some science behind just why this happens, too.
Listed factors that play into SAD, provided by the Mayo Clinic, include a closer look at just why this might be happening.
The lesser amount of sunlight in the fall and winter can disrupt your circadian rhythm. Less rays can also affect literal serotonin levels in the brain and said drop in serotonin directly affects mood. Another chemical, melatonin, also changes with less contact to sunlight and this affects sleep patterns as well as mood.
The Mayo Clinic also issued a word of warning. Though SAD is relatively common, if feelings escalate past what might be normal for you it might be worth a visit to your doctor.
Please, don’t let sad feelings go unchecked.
Now, there’s another article worth looking at called “Sunshine and happiness: 7 ways the weather can influence our mood.” Within their sevens reasons, some pretty good points come out, including ones more closely tied to the warmth.
Some of these points are not tied to any facts -- like their section on feeling more lazy in the winter because there is less to be active doing -- but they still make sense. Exercise brings endorphins and endorphins make people happy.
“Warm weather can also bring out our positive and creative skills,” they say.
According to a study done by the University of Michigan, being outdoors in enjoyable weather can improve memory and broaden cognitive style, which is linked to more creative thoughts.
Makes sense to me.
Anyway, I’m taking this opportunity to get out and do things like plan my garden and clean up what is left of winter outside my house.
Not to include my Christmas decorations... because who brings those inside before June?
CHEYENNE ROWE can be reached at newsregister@ hamilton.net
