Illustration by Miko Maciaszek
LIGHT IS the stuff of life. Without it, as Lord Byron describes in his poem “Darkness,” “men [forget] their passions in the dread.” Indeed.
Daylight saving time ends November 3. Once the reality of rising and eating dinner in the dark sets in, you may fall back with the clocks: right into a funk. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD—social withdrawal, feeling hopeless, sluggishness, carb cravings, and oversleeping—affects millions, most in the northern half of the country. The dearth of daylight is primarily to blame, but the corresponding decrease in vitamin D also plays a part.
It’s been shown that a 15–20 minute walk each day can boost mood. And sun exposure is the natural way to increase vitamin D levels. But with Indy winters so short on walkable days, that’s cold comfort.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that light therapy can help. In fact, Purdue University has set up a light therapy space for students, where they sit near a light box that mimics sunlight at 10,000 lux. Purdue suggests starting at 10–15 minutes, ideally in the morning, and working up to longer sessions if needed.
Light therapy boxes are sold without a prescription, but can SAD really be treated that easily? “Not necessarily,” says Vanessa Enos, a licensed medical health counselor at Community Fairbanks Behavioral Health. “SAD is actually depression with a seasonal pattern.” And depression can result from factors not easily identified.
If you’ve had the winter blues for two or more consecutive years, Enos strongly suggests talking to a mental health care provider to assess your condition and develop a comprehensive treatment program, which light therapy may be part of, along with talk therapy or medication. Activities that bring you joy are key, says Enos. Most of all, she urges, take your feelings seriously. “Don’t suffer alone! Ask for help.”
