Have you noticed that every fall you seem to lose energy for things that you enjoy in the spring and summer? Do you become more irritable, tired and isolated as summer sun gives way to winter darkness? Have you just accepted that you tend to get the ‘winter blues’? You may be one of an estimated ten percent of people in the USA who shows signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. This rate increases if you are a young adult, female or live in a state in the upper latitudes (yes, like Minnesota). Scientists believe that your sadness may be caused by a decrease in the amount of sunlight that hits the light absorbing cells in your eyes! There may a simple way for you to decrease your symptoms – photon or light therapy. By sitting in close proximity to a light box which emits full spectrum light for as little as a half hour every day you increase the level of light hitting your retina to a level that matches the light you get in the summer. Check with your doctor to see if this therapy may help you lose those winter blues.
To contact Water’s Edge Counseling & Healing Center to speak with a therapist, please call (952)898-5020 and go to option 4.
