Seasonal affective disorder

[chipotle]

Every so often in Florida I heard about “seasonal affective disorder,” whether from people who believed they indeed had a clinical seasonal depression or just suffered the “winter blues.”

Wikipedia says that this is common in Scandinavians—but of course, in Scandinavia, the shortness of days eliminates all but a few hours of sunlight. In America, we’re just talking about weather: in most parts of the country, it gets grayer and wetter in fall and winter.

The thing I’ve noticed is that I haven’t heard anyone really talk about that here in California, but it was common for me to hear about it in Florida. Sometimes it was cited as a reason that the sufferer liked Florida more than wherever up north they came from; frequently it was cited as something they still suffered from, but just on a temporary basis. Take away their sunshine for a short time and they were depressed and mopey.

But, here’s the interesting thing, psychologically. My mom tells me of a coworker who moved to Florida from the Seattle area and always used to talk about how much more she liked Seattle. After living in Florida for a few years she visited Seattle for a couple weeks, and when she came back, all she could talk about was how much she hated the weather there. “Always gray and rainy.”

And, as I sit here watching the first real rain of the season here in San Jose, I wonder whether SAD—whether or not it’s clinical—is actually aided by places like Florida, rather than rainy places like the Pacific Northwest. You become used to the weather that you live with, mentally accustomed to it. If rain is something you see as interfering with your plans, it’s going to depress you. If it’s something you simply plan around—or even plan for—it’s a different matter. (If you’re Steve Jobs, you make an iTunes Essentials album about it—which I’m listening to now. I suspect that link only works for iTunes users, of course.)

When I first moved out here I had many people tell me that California doesn’t really have seasons, to which I can only say that either they’ve never lived in a place with no seasons or they’ve forgotten what it was like. In the last couple of weeks the leaves have been turning colors, and this last weekend the temperature dropped noticeably. And I wouldn’t have to go that far north and east of where I am to hit snow country. There are certainly parts of California where the season change is nominal—along the north coast, the difference between winter and summer average temperatures is about ten degrees—but this isn’t one of those places.

With Claw & Quill launched (and happily running), I think I’m going to go out and play in the rain a little, and come back—or even stay out for a little bit—to work on my web portfolio and get writing on the review of Nisus Writer Express I was threatening to do last month.

Comments

[tilton.livejournal.com]

I think "we have no seasons" isn't accurate, either. We have two, rainy and dry. :)

For a time I lived in New England, which is sort of the De Facto Standard Seasonal Area for the country, where Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall are all very clearly delineated. But I could never bring myself to enjoy it. I enjoyed Spring and Fall in the Northeast, but Summer and Winter were another matter entirely, with their soggy humid heat and face-numbing bitter cold. I felt like I was effectively trapped indoors for more than half of the year.

That's what I find so wonderful about living here in California, and why I couldn't wait to get back when I lived in New England. The dry season is sometimes very hot, yes, but there's always a temperature break right around the corner. I throw my windows open at every opportunity and walk around in shorts and a t-shirt, only retreating to the air conditioned spaces a few weeks of the year. And when the rainy season comes, I'm ready for it, after a long dry summer I crave the rain and the wind and the storms of winter. But I can still wander around outside without mucklucks. I find the cool temperatures quite comfortable, and can throw my windows open (so long as the rain isn't hitting them), or walk outside in just a sweater, carrying an umbrella. I'm not trapped behind tripple-paned storm windows like in New England. And, of course, when the dry season returns, I'm ready for it again, looking forward to dry sunny days. Always the perfect balance.

I do, however, believe in SAD. I went to college in Ithaca, New York, one of the few places in the country that gets less sun than Seattle. The combination of icy cold dark days, early sunsets, late sunrises, and the stress of college brought on the worst depression of my life. I became utterly nonfunctional there, and I had to leave before my degree was completed. I often wonder if light therapy might have helped. I doubt that the weather was the sole factor, but I feel like it played an important role.

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

Tell me what story you wanted me to revise - I have forgotten. Sorry. But I'll get right on it.