Change of Seasons
Coping with the Summer SAD Blues
Suzie Lechtenberg
MAY 24, 2008
- A cool waterfall
- (Peer Gopfrich)
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Most folks associate Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) with winter weather and dark days. But a small percentage experience the disorder in the summer -- they shun the heat and the glare of the sun, and find solace in dark, air-conditioned spaces. We talk with Saskia Smith about how she copes with summer SAD:
Desiree Cooper: So, what are your symptoms?
Saskia Smith: Before I was aware of this, I started getting very depressed, and I knew the sun was bothering me. I didn't think it was anything that was a valid complaint. It's such an anti-Los Angeles sentiment to dislike the sun. I became anti-social. I stopped communicating with my friends and family. I was prone in bed all weekend. I became suicidal. I lost 15 pounds, and I'm very thin already. People started expressing concern.
It all hit home when I was at my desk at work, and I was changing my desktop picture. I changed it to a winter scene, and I just started crying. I was broken down.
Did you go to a doctor?
No. I ended up going online, as a lot of people do these days. And I typed in Summer SAD, because I had just finished corresponding with my German friend about his Winter SAD. Summer SAD came up in a Web search. It was such a relief to know that these symptoms weren't defining who I am. I wasn't going crazy. It wasn't part of my personality that I didn't like the sun. It was just something that, for whatever reason, I had developed.
What have you done to accommodate it?
Well, an immediate sense of alleviating symptoms: You can take cold showers. You can carry around cold water bottles, try to consolidate your chores and errands either into the early morning or the late evening, when it's dark and cool. I find it depressing to close the blinds and to feel like I'm hibernating away, but it does help to keep busy. I'm learning how to play piano. I actually took that up because I thought it would be good to have an indoor hobby. Some people end up taking anti-depressants. I just try to talk about it with my husband and make sure my friends are aware, so I don't end up feeling overly isolated or guilty that I'm not engaging in my social life. But, you still have to go outside and run errands, and every time you open the blinds, the sun's out there and waiting.
Does your husband have Summer SAD as well?
No, he has Winter SAD. He loves the sun in L.A.
Oh, Jack Sprat and his wife.
Exactly.
So, how does Summer SAD effect your relationship?
Another symptom is anxiety and anger and irritability, so I was really fun to be around, and it was very taxing on our relationship. Nowadays, he understands I really want to take a week-long camping trip to Big Sur during the summer to get away from the heat.
What's it like for you when you get there? How does that effect your condition?
It's just relief. During the summer, I feel like I'm being persecuted by the sun, or I'm an ant under a magnifying glass. To wake up every morning to cool temperatures and misty grey weather was like I could let my guard down and relax and feel like a whole person. If it's really hot out in Los Angeles, and I go into the supermarket, and I'm there for about half an hour and maybe walk through the freezer section, there's a sense of well being that returns to me. I get that when I'm in cooler regions. Actually, Big Sur was sort of a compromise, because my husband didn't want to go someplace too depressing, lest it trigger his Winter SAD. In Big Sur, you do get some sun in the afternoon and some sunny, warmer days.
Have you considered moving to a cooler climate?
I think about it every single day. But my husband has a lot of opportunities down here, and for the time being, I'm going to try to stick it out.
Saskia, thank you for sharing your story with us.
Thank you, Desiree.
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- Music Bridge:
- Italy 73
- Artist: Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
- CD: Miles of Styles (Ubiquity)
Comments
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From santa monica, CA, 07/26/2009
If you suspect you have Summer SAD you are welcome to visit the new support network I set up --to learn more information and correspond with others who have this disorder (I am the person interviewed in this article): www.summersad.ning.com
This is a non-profit website listed--designed only to help those with Summer SAD
From santa monica, CA, 07/26/2009
If you suspect you have Summer SAD you are welcome to visit the new support network I set up (I am the person interviewed in this article): www.summersad.ning.com
From TX, 07/13/2009
I believe the WORST part of being R-SAD is the isolation. I have TRIED to explain to others, but they just don't understand, not completely, how much of it's a part of my personality. And they DON'T understand that it's not ALL depressing. When those cool breezes of Fall finally arrive, I am on Cloud 9. I would love to email others with R-SAD.
From Tiffin, OH, 07/08/2009
Good to hear other out there with reverse seasonal affective disorder. I live in Northern Ohio and we do have too many Hot humid days. Mid April through September are the worst. I wish more research could be done to figure this out. Most of the obvouse, "stay cool and out of the sun" solutions are just fighting the symtoms, not really solving or curing the source of the problem. We need to research and finding the source,
From Woodland, MI, 11/12/2008
My symptoms remained a mystery until several years ago, the media began investigating SAD. I thought, "WOW, I experience that, but the other way round." The onset of summer brings me to tears. I pray for cold, rainy summers so I can have super high energy days and enjoy the out-of-doors: hiking, cycling, walking, gardening, fishing, swimming. Hot, sunny days mean intense pain, stiffness, loss of focus, and three whole months of barely coping. I just want to crawl into a hole until it's over. I've tried to explain to my family and friends that it feels like the sun is stabbing me or pressing down on me, especially in the face, eyes, and head. On sunny, windy days, I can barely open my eyes or breathe when out-of-doors the pain and oppressing weight is so intense. Thank goodness there are still six more months of grey, cool weather to enjoy! We in the northern states who suffer from Summer SAD are fortunate to have the majority of the year to our liking.
From Houston, TX, 05/30/2008
I love summer, but LA style, not Houston, where I now live. Our "sweaty months" seem to be from around February until November. When you leave for work, you've broken a sweat by the time you get to your car! It's so depressing to walk outside & feel as though you can barely breath because it's so hot & humid. Unless I'm in the pool there's no desire to leave the air conditioning!
From Seattle, WA, 05/25/2008
I too was pleasantly surprised that I was not the only person with this condition. I moved to Seattle 5 years ago for a job, after living 50 + years close to the Ocean in S.F. I was shocked to discover that, although it is pretty gray and rainy here for much of the year, Seattle has a real summer. For 2-3 months of the year it is shockingly sunny and warm, with temps in the 80's and 90's and without the natural ocean A/C that S.F. can always count on. I have learned to cope, but I still sorely miss that lovely cooling fog.
From bainbridge island, WA, 05/24/2008
I was delighted to discover that I was not alone...I was born in Pasadena, and lived in SoCal for 72 years. Finally, moved 5 years ago to Seattle area, and delight in cool and damp. Last week it reached 80, and "it all came back to me". I do not miss California at all.
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