Change of Seasons
Coping with the Summer SAD Blues
Suzie Lechtenberg
MAY 24, 2008
- A cool waterfall
- (Peer Gopfrich)
- View the Slideshow
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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 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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