Seasonal Affective Disorder

Winter brings the onset of seasonal affective disorder. Where does one go for a sunny day in Canada? Calgary takes the spot as a major centre with the most sunny days. Considering the oil market, they appear to need it. Vancouver with 154 rain days ranks just behind Prince Rupert as the cloudiest part of Canada. But at least when you live in Vancouver, at least you are in Vancouver.

Those of us in other parts of the country must turn to the Amazon. Not the river, the shopping platform. Here you can purchase your own light therapy box. Light therapy impacts brain chemicals linked to mood and sleep and eases SAD symptoms.

We have the Northern Light Technologies 10,000 lux desk light. Minimal UV radiation since you don’t want to fix one problem and cause an even greater melanoma problem.

Ignore the pictures showing people sitting in a chair enjoying a coffee. Read the brochure, but generally the light box should be within 18 inches of your face for maximum effectiveness. The exact distance that your mother always warned you about when you watched TV.

Perhaps 15 minutes a day in the morning ought to do it. Just keep a consistent schedule and do all those other things that your mother told you to do. Get outside and play.

 

#sad #motivation