SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder

I think I have a mild form of the Winter Blues. *Sigh.* I say this because I notice a remarkable difference in my attitude and mood on the rare days when it IS sunny outside. Growing up in Texas, I grew accustomed to seeing sunshine at least 350 days a year. Here in Firenze, we have six months of gray dark skies and TONS of rain. No me gusta. Para nada. For the past three months, I've had to force myself out of bed each day as I draaggg to work each day. When I do get to work, I sadly gaze out the window (which looks like the picture above) and daydream of rainbows, clear, blue skies, and the smell of freshly cut grass. Ahhh. Knowing that I'm barely through the halfway mark of winter makes me wonder how I can get through six more months of this.
I used to think that S.A.D, Seasonal Affective Disorder, was a load of crap. I mean, can the weather really have that strong of an affect on us? If you live in a place where you don't have to experience long, dreary winters, chances are you don't even know what S.A.D is. I did some reading on SAD today and here's what I learned:

-Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may affect over 10 million Americans while the milder, "Winter Blues" may affect a larger number of individuals.

- Many of us notice tiredness, a bit of weight gain, difficulty getting out of bed and bouts of "the blues" as fall turns to winter. However some people experience an exaggerated form of these symptoms.

-The typical symptoms of SAD include depression, lack of energy, increased need for sleep, a craving for sweets (yum!) and weight gain (ew). Symptoms begin in the fall, peak in the winter and usually resolve in the spring. Some individuals experience great bursts of energy and creativity in the spring or early summer. Susceptible individuals who work in buildings without windows may experience SAD-type symptoms at any time of year. (how depressing)

-SAD is recognized in the DSM-IV (The American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual) as a subtype of major depressive episode. The classic major depression involves decreased appetite, decreased sleep, and often, poor appetite and weight loss.

- About 70-80% of those with SAD are women.

Does anyone experience this?