Under the season | Imamother

amother

Sun, Sep 14 2014, 7:23 pm

No, this is when I come alive. All summer I have to hide from the brutal sun and no matter how recently I've showered, I feel like a limp dishrag that's been left lying under the sink and has started to mildew. Just now when the humidity and temperatures come down, the air is crisp and I feel clean and energetic. I understand that sun-worshipers feel melancholy when summer is over and it's back to work, school and routine, but I've always loved back-to-school, the smell of new school supplies and new clothes. Sure, the yomtovim are coming and that's a ton of work, but now I have the energy to do it. And because it's cooler, those marathon cooking sessions are far more bearable.

Do you feel this melancholy only in fall, or does it get worse still in winter? If it gets worse in winter and eases towards spring, you may suffer from seasonal affect disorder, or SAD, which is caused by insufficient exposure to sunlight. The condition is treated with light therapy: you literally sit for a certain period of time every day in front of specially-designed bright lights that mimic sunlight. See a menatl health professional to check it oput, or make an effort to get outside for a few hours each day, preferably in the morning. Studies show that sun exposure in the morning is more effective in regulating mood than exposure later in the day.