A SAD CASE OF THE BLUES

Autumn is a bittersweet time of year for me. Vibrant colors radiate from turning leaves which I fancy to be little storehouses of energy releasing their cache of summer sunlight. There is a bite in the cool air. Morning mists are seasoned with the spicy scent from dried leaves of maple, oak and fern. Like a suitor that triggers a touch point deep within my soul, I am lured into the season's embrace.

If I could choose any season to linger the longest, it would be autumn. In my world it is fleeting - a true blaze of glory lasting six glorious weeks from the end of August until mid-October.
A blanket of snow covered my deck this morning and even though it will melt, I am reminded that the embrace will soon turn cold and hard. If I could chose any season to be the shortest it would be winter. In my world, Winter is the guest that overstays his welcome - from early November well into April.

My dislike of winter is purely physical. I become lethargic and sleepy. I truly think that my body wants to hibernate and I am convinced that if I could - at the very least - hole up in a well stocked cabin with a huge fireplace and a store of wood, a soft bed and a down comforter, I would be happy. Instead I am sad, or more precisely, I believe I suffer with S.A.D. - Seasonal Affective Disorder.

My cure of choice would be a one-way ticket to the Greek Isles, but being firmly ensconced in the sandwich generation makes that unlikely for a few more years. Instead I have a six-point plan of action to help alleviate the symptoms of light deprivation by addressing the seasonal short circuit to the circadian rhythms (internal body clock).

*Maintain a regular sleep schedule, waking and retiring at the same time.
*A minimum of 15 minutes of natural light exposure every day.
*Use full spectrum lighting in office or work area.
*Plug a bedroom lamp with a low watt bulb into a timer, to turn on 20 – 30 minutes before wake time, simulating early dawn.
*A minimum of 30 minutes of outdoor activity every day.

Along with these six methods that have proven successful in research trials, I add two wholly unscientific treatments that address the sense of hearing and the sense of smell.

*Listen to nature sounds on compact disc. Look for sounds of summer like moving water, chirping birds, and wind chimes.

*Use air fresheners, simmering oils or incense that reminds you of summer.

And if anybody out there comes across one that smells like a newly mown lawn, let me know where to buy it.

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