You're not alone if the gray skies have you feeling more lackluster than normal. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, affects 10 to 25 million Americans; 75% of which are women. SAD occurs during winter months when shorter days and reduced sunlight inhibit serotonin production, leading to lethargy, depression, loss of focus, carbohydrate craving, and an increased need for sleep. Treatment involves light therapy with full-spectrum light bulbs or daily exposure to a 10,000 lux light box. Waking to a Sunrise alarm clock has helped many people cope better with the weighty feeling of dark Seattle mornings.
Other natural approaches to SAD include maintaining an active exercise regime, avoiding refined sugar and infusing your diet with colorful, organic foods packed with fresh nutrients and enzymes. Getting adequate Vitamin D supplementation also serves to balance the body/mind, especially during dark winter months.
From a Chinese medical view point, consider these dark, yin months as an opportunity for rest and recovery; a natural time to go within. Traditional Chinese Medicine views the body as inextricably linked to our environment. As the Yellow Emperor's classic state: "People and nature are inseparable. In nature the cyclical movement of the heavenly bodies produces atmospheric influences that exert control over the rhythms of the seasons and is responsible for change to the myriad living and nonliving things warmth of the spring gives rise to birth, the fire of the summer fuels rapid growth and development, the coolness of autumn matures all and provides harvest, and the coldness of winter forces inactivity and storing".
During the winter it is natural for the body to require more sleep. Tending to deep rest helps nourish the Kidney energy, preparing one's physical and spiritual energy for a vital spring. Incorporating a daily meditation practice can also help to synchronize one's body and spirit with the seasons. A number of Daoist meditations include visualizing vibrant colors associated with each of the five organs, thereby activating subtle energy, light and healing from within the body.
