Day 7

Okay, so I just finally made a decision and ordered a light box. I decided to go with the Aurora Light Pad. It's compact, portable, lightweight, and has a light intensity of 10,000 lux up to 30 inches away.

My hope is that I will be able to use it in my car during my morning commute. Once it arrives, I'll be experimenting to see if I can somehow affix it to my sun visor or dash.

I'm excited about this. I'm really hoping the light therapy will be effective for me.

This morning I did a 30 minute run, satisfying my goal of excercising for at least 30 minutes five days a week. Tomorrow starts week two.

Peace

Day 6

A word about the use of light boxes to treat seasonal affective disorder:

From what I have been reading, people seem to benefit most from the use of a light box if the treatment is received first thing in the morning for about 30 minutes. This creates a little bit of a problem for me in that I already get up at 5:30am to be ready to leave for work by 6:30. During that hour I am feeding pets, making my lunch, and getting showered and dressed. It's not a time when I can just sit somewhere for half an hour with a light on me, and to get up at 5:00am so that I can fit in 30 minutes of light therapy does not sound enjoyable or sustainable to me.

What I plan to do next is to see if I can find some kind of light box that could be affixed to the sun visor in my car. Since I have about a 50 minute commute to work in the morning, that would give me plenty of exposure.

I have, in my light box search, come across light boxes that are attached to sun visors that you wear on your head. Apparently they have been seeing some positive results with these sun visor light boxes, but studies have yet to determine if the results are real or a placebo effect.

I'm confident that in the end I fill find something that will work for me, but I do need to get moving on it as the days are only getting shorter.

Peace

Day 5

This is going to be a short one, because I'm tired.

Another beautiful day. Mild temperatures and full sun. I went for a 30 minute run this morning to take advantage of the weather, then got some things done around the house.

Tonight we went to my sons' first football game (they won!), and I noticed that it is already feeling very much like fall. Despite the shortening days, I love this weather.

Peace

Day 4

I think today was the most beautiful day of summer so far. It felt like fall out there. Bright sunlight, cool temps, and a beautiful breeze.

I haven't shopped for a light box yet, but I did create this:

Look closely. That's me hanging from Shangela's earring! I can't help it. It's the image I get in my mind every time I hear that Chandolier song.

Did a nice shoulder and arm workout at the gym and ran on the treadmill for 3.25 miles. Maybe tomorrow I'll shop for a light box???

Peace

Day 3

It was a good day today. I went in to work one last time to get my classroom ready before I officially have to be back on Tuesday. I drove with the top down on my Jeep to take advantage of as much of the morning sun as possible while it lasts.

Took today off from exercise, but spent about an hour doing some creative writing and was happy with the results.

Tomorrow I am going light box shopping before the days get too much shorter.

Peace.

Day 2

What I am feeling today is grateful. Friends and family have given me a real out-pouring of love and support in response to this project. It's left me feeling humble and appreciative.

Today I went in to work for awhile, then did a leg workout at the gym and cycled (indoors) for 30 minutes. Although I was tired, it wasn't the kind of tired I get when my SAD is in full swing. It was actually a really enjoyable workout. 

Oh yeah: last night I went to the in-laws for dinner with the whole family (it's a Monday night tradition). That counts as a social activity.

That's all I got for now.

Peace.

Day 1

Day 1! Woot!

Today was a good day, as I expected it would be. It's really too early in the season for me to be experiencing any real symptoms, but I am starting early because:

a) I am already seeing signs of increased appetite

b) Most of the treatments I have been reading about suggest starting in early fall

c) to get into the routine of this project before I get slammed with the start of a new school year

I got up early to do a little more SAD research, went to school and worked on setting up my classroom for a few hours, then hit the gym and did a chest/back workout and a 3 mile run.

The rest of this post gets a little technical and...dare I say...boring? So feel free to stop reading here if you like.

One of the questions that has been on my mind is whether or not I have full blown seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or its milder cousin subsyndromal seasonal disorder (S-SAD), also know as "winter blues". The difference between the two is subtle, from what I can tell, with subsnydromal SAD (S-SAD) having milder symptoms.

So...which do I have, and does it really matter?

At a Bates College Health Center website (http://www.bates.edu/health/health-information/seasonal-affective-disorder/) I found this list of symptoms associated with SAD:

1) Decreased mood and low energy level (Check. Low energy level becomes more pronounced for me than decreased mood, but they're both there.)

2) Difficulty waking up in the morning. (No. I'm a morning person year-round.)

3) Irritability (Check. More specifically, I become very impatient.)

4) Anxiety (Check. However, I have anxiety year-round and take a low dose of Lexipro to treat it, so...*shrug*.)

5) Inability to concentrate. (Depends. I can concentrate easily on tasks at hand, but it becomes extremely difficult for me to concentrate on conversations in social settings. I respond well to "sound bites" during this part of the year, and have difficulty focusing on anyone speaking for longer than a few seconds. I find myself literally scrunching up my face trying to stay focused when someone is telling me a story. Needless to say, I'm not much of a conversationalist during the winter months, and dinners out with my husband can be painful for both of us.)

6) Difficulty performing tasks that are usually easy or enjoyable. (Depends on the task. I function fine at work, but have great difficulty maintaining my exercise routine during the winter months. I lose all drive to go to the gym, and if I push myself to go, the entire experience feels torturous.)

7) Low sex drive. (No noticeable change in sex drive for me.)

8) Carbohydrate craving. (CHECK! This is one of the worst parts for me. I tend to pack on 20-30 extra pounds in the winter, diet it off in the spring/summer, then begin the cycle again in the fall. Ugggh!)

Some sights also list thoughts about death or suicide as a symptom of SAD. Fortunately, I don't experience that. In terms of depression, I don't feel down or sad, I just don't feel much like DOING anything; even things I normally really enjoy.

On a website by the American Psychological Association, a Dr. Kelly Rohan reports that the main difference between SAD and S-SAD is that those who suffer from S-SAD do not meet diagnostic criteria for depression during the winter months, while sufferers of SAD do. (http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/02/seasonal-disorder.aspx) I don't think I'd meet diagnostic criteria for depression, so I suspect that I experience S-SAD rather than SAD. Fortunately, the treatments for both seem to be pretty much the same, so on with the plan!