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10:26 am: 38°F / 18°F » 5-Day Forecast

Quick.  What was your first reaction when you looked out the window this morning?  Disgust? Dread?  Frustration?  A longing to slash your wrists with a spoon?

We had ten inches of snow on March 3-4.  In some spots we've had more than ten inches of rain since.  (Probably closer to 6 at my house, but who's counting?)  I am sick of gray skies, wet socks, windshield wipers, slick roads, and wiping mud off my dog's feet every time she goes out to the bathroom.  I'm sick of meteorologists saying with a guffaw, "It's gonna be another wet one! I am, in general, sick, tired, and mildly depressed! 

Sound familiar?  Well, believe it or not, we may all be suffering from a mental malady that only Spring can fully take care of.  It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder. (SAD) It must be real.  It has it's own website!

As you shoot your spouse a nasty look and backhand your dog, tell me if any of these symptoms sound familiar:

Sleep problems:	Usually desire to oversleep and difficulty staying awake but, in some cases, disturbed sleep and early morning wakening
Lethargy:	Feeling of fatigue and inability to carry out normal routine
Overeating:	Craving for carbohydrates and sweet foods, usually resulting in weight gain
Depression:	Feelings of misery, guilt and loss of self-esteem, sometimes hopelessness and despair, sometimes apathy and loss of feelings
Social problems:	Irritability and desire to avoid social contact
Anxiety:	Tension and inability to tolerate stress
Loss of libido	Decreased interest in sex and physical contact
Mood changes	In some sufferers, extremes of mood and short periods of hypomania (overactivity) in spring and autumn.

I'm making some light of this,(pun intended) but my dad was actually diagnosed with SAD in the midst of a long Michigan winter years ago.  They actually sent him out to buy a sun lamp!  (He'll never live in Seattle!)

These days, companies out there are actually selling sunlight that you can hook to your computer!  So you don't have to feel alone.  Just remember that, eventually, the sun will show up as it is supposed to.  The light will make us all feel better.  Our longing to kick the neighbor's cat through a hedge will (probably) subside.   If not, I guess there's always sunlamps and prescription medication!

Tags: Seasonal Affective Disorder sun rain snow Michigan depression