Over Ten Hours of Daylight Today!

It was actually sunny yesterday!

One of the first full days of sun and blue skies we’ve had all winter. Not a partly cloudy day when the sun peeks out for a  brief, precious moment only to disappear before I can get outside to experience it.  No, we had several hours of bright sunlight yesterday.  During the walk I took in freezing temperatures, I was giddy the entire time.

In my last blog, I wrote about why my Christmas tree is still up.  (By the way, it still is, along with my outdoor Christmas lights.)  Season Affective Disorder is a type of depression often triggered during the winter months due to the short number of daylight hours.  I feel fortunate that I am bothered by the lack of light but not deeply depressed by it.  My awareness of feeling blue helps me to make adjustments in order to push through it.  Others are not so lucky. If you don’t recognize the symptoms or you find yourself debilitated by severe symptoms, this experience can be more serious than the typical winter blues.

After posting on Facebook and Tweeting about my last blog, I heard from others who shared some helpful resources.  (I’m including a video and links below.)  From what I’ve experienced, it’s important to reach out and stay social.  Try not to isolate yourself.  Get together with friends, exercise, stay active, and get outdoors for a bit every day.

The good news is that the sun is returning.  Back on Dec. 21, 2014, we had only nine hours and twenty minutes of daylight in my area.  The sun didn’t rise until 7:18 AM and set by 4:38 PM.  While the sun is still not appearing until well after 7:00 AM, we did have ten hours and three minutes of daylight today on January 29, 2015.  Sunset wasn’t until 5:15 PM.  In my book, that’s a big improvement.

So hang in there, and don’t hesitate to leave those Christmas lights up if they help you feel more cheerful during these long hours of dark.

Beat The Winter Blues

Also a helpful Twitter site @BeatTheWinter

Explaining SAD

Kids Health.org

Mild Version of SAD

(If you comment on this blog before midnight on Feb. 8, 2015, you’ll be entered to win an e-book from the Annie Crow Knoll series!)