rhapsodic.org is a weblog by Valette Keller

Sunlight Deprivation

I've been experienced some Seasonal Affective Disorder the last few weeks. I didn't really know why I was feeling down or unmotivated to do even the smallest of things until Sunday afternoon.

With the sun going down at 4pm, there is so much night time that I'm having trouble convincing my body to go to sleep. That the darkness at 11pm is somehow different from the darkness at 6pm.

I'm staying up until 1 or 2, and I'm so tired all week that I sleep in until 11 or later on the weekends. Usually later. After an hour or two of checking in with the internet (aka: Waking Up), and then a half hour of getting some "breakfast", and then a half hour shower and getting dressed, it's now 2 or 3pm and the sun is already going away. I feel like the day is already over and I've not accomplished anything, even though I've only really started.

On Sunday, after I realized what was going on, we decided to get out of the apartment despite the sun mostly gone. We went to the gym for a quick half hour, which really helped. Then grocery shopping, dinner out, and a movie.

It was good to get out of the apartment while I was feeling down, but I still didn't accomplish much this weekend. Didn't do any of the things I had wanted to do.

Today I got outside during my lunch break and stood in the sunshine. It was only 15 or 20 minutes, but it was beyond wonderful. I needed that little burst of vitamin D.

By the end of the month, the increasing light will be more noticeable and I will be doing much better, but until then I will put a little reminder on my calendar to soak up some sun.