Sad Spring? Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder
Reverse SAD is more common than we think!
I can recall lying on my bed when I was ten years old with the shades drawn on a very hot and sunny July afternoon listening to the Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas album on my fisher price cassette player!
Then there were those trips to Cape Cod with my father, a true sun worshiper. He would lie in the sun all day, working up an epic tan. Whereas I was often hiding in the small rental house, enjoying the shade and cooler temperatures.
I do love summer. I love swimming in the ocean and a cold river, and a good thunderstorm. It's just that when spring begins unfolding into the humid, baking hot days of summer, an essential part of me feels like it's dying. I often feel depressed, over exposed, and insecure.
Contrast these feelings with the chill days of autumn and early winter. I lean into the cold winds with the gusto of a viking. I want to run through the forest with my bow and arrow. I am, in fact, a different person when the weather turns cold. I feel that I was designed or made for a colder, more northerly climate.
For many years I thought it was just me. Everyone seems to complain about winter and delight in the sunshine and heat of summer. But recently I have come to realize that I am not alone. In fact, there are millions of people who experience summer this way. Let us unite, my friends! The weather is not something that any of us as individuals can control, although governments around the world are getting better at it all the time, think cloud seeding in Dubai. Outside of those programs that seek god-like powers, we simply have to learn to adapt and develop strategies to align with the summer season and ameliorate the negative effects we feel. This is much the same as the struggles our warmer season friends feel when summer becomes winter, but in reverse.
Human Adaptability
As human beings, if we are anything, we are adaptable. To make it at least 180,000 years in our current configuration means we have lived through ice ages, lived in environments with dangerous mega-fauna, and persevered through droughts, floods, famine, fires, earthquakes, wars, pestilences and cosmic impacts.
There are ways that we can learn to live with and even come to love the seasons and times that push us out of our comfort zones. To do that, it may help to know that if you struggle with a seasonal change year after year, it may have something to do with your constitution.
You may just run hot, and find winter and fall more comfortable.
You may be more introverted, and enjoy the lack of pressure to be out and about that winter affords.
You might not be comfortable showing more of your body by wearing fewer clothes in the summertime. Again, a more inward, private way of being is supported by winter.
You may find the abundance of sunlight to be overpowering.
You may be fair skinned.
You may find the bugs, insects, and even the ticks to be challenging.
For some people, excess heat can be aggravating, and create challenging emotions.
Spring and summer are also a time of heightened mating rituals and competitive activities. This can feel intimidating for some folks who tend to be more introverted.
It is a time of work, when the hunting and gathering, the agriculture gets done.
In spring we are called to come forth and blossom along with the rest of nature. Winter is a great time to dream, visualize, pray, craft, and plant internal seeds. Spring is the time to water those seeds and begin to grow and reach toward the sun.
Even if you struggle with spring and summer it is important to remember that we need the sun as it is the source of life as we know it on our planet. Our bodies need to be touched by sunlight so that we can have adequate levels of vitamin D. We also need to be touched by the sun to regulate our serotonin/melatonin rhythm. Exposure to sunlight during the day, and minimizing blue light from screens after dark, helps our bodies synchronize with the circadian rhythms of the earth and sun. This improves our sleep and our health overall.
Tips for Reverse SAD
For those of us who struggle with reverse SAD, here are some practices you can try to help navigate the transition:
Take some time to journal about how you feel during this time of the year. See if you can pinpoint where the struggle is. This will help create specific strategies to counteract the suffering you feel.
Familiarize yourself with the Celtic Wheel of the Year. There are ancient holidays on February 2nd (Imbolc), March 21 (Ostara), and May 1st (Beltaine), as well as the summer Solstice on June 21st. By marking these days on your calendar and reflecting on the gradual increase of solar energy, you can prepare yourself one day at a time for the arrival of summer.
Note the time of sunrise and sunset as winter transitions into spring. As much as possible, try to rise around the same time as the sun rises, and begin winding the day down as the sun sets. Consider switching out any light sources in your home that are high in blue light, traditional LED’s, etc. Use candle light or red light LED lamps to help your body produce melatonin in the evening to help you sleep.
Staying cool and managing humidity may be a key factor in getting through summer. Make sure you have clothes that fit well, make you feel good, and breathe well, so you can move comfortably and regulate your temperature in the summer.
Take advantage of early morning and later in the evening. Get your sunlight exposure in during those times. Do your hard work and other outdoor activities in these windows so you can “hibernate” when the sun is high in the sky.
Summer may be your “hibernation” season. You may be much more active in the winter. This is okay. Own it.
Remember that opposites bring balance. It sounds so simple and obvious but it is true. If you are too hot, do something cooling. Seek shade, go for a swim. Avoid hot, spicy foods. Eating cooling foods like cucumbers and salads.
As much as we may love winter, we can’t keep doing the same things we love to do in winter. We have to shed the bulky clothes, swap out the boots for sandals, and replace our stews and casseroles for lighter, cooler, fresher foods.
Finally, try a sit spot in the morning. Take some time to just sit outside or by your window and observe the beauty of this new season. There is something wonderful in every season of the year. Even in our challenging seasons we can find beauty. Make it a practice!
And, if you need to curl up in the AC with a sweater on and watch the first Harry Potter movie one day in August, that’s okay too! Winter is coming!
