My God. The weather is B-E-A-UUUTIFUL!

What a great mood the weather can put you in! Literally, I don't know if I ever believed in seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD-appropriate) until I moved to Holland.. Before I moved here I began taking high doses of Vitamin D for a deficiency.. My doctor recommended that I get sun, but since I'm a ginger, not too much sun, but I need the sun to help my deficiency- it was a complete roundabout. So am I suppose to get sun, or not, and definitely not from the tanning bed.. regardless, I thought I should have gone on a cruise- vacations help everyone with lack of sun and SAD. Instead I moved to Holland, which rains probably 300 out of 365 days in the year.. SAD does exist. 

 The Mayo Clinic defines SAD as being:

Seasonal affective disorder is a cyclic, seasonal condition. This means that signs and symptoms come back and go away at the same time every year. Usually, seasonal affective disorder symptoms appear during late fall or early winter and go away during the sunnier days of spring and summer. Some people have the opposite pattern and become depressed with the onset of spring or summer. In either case, problems may start out mild and become more severe as the season progresses.

Fall and winter seasonal affective disorder (winter depression)Winter-onset seasonal affective disorder symptoms include: Depression, Hopelessness, Anxiety, Loss of energy,Social withdrawal,Oversleeping,Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed,Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates,Weight gain,Difficulty concentrating and processing information

Spring and summer seasonal affective disorder (summer depression)Summer-onset seasonal affective disorder symptoms include: Anxiety,Trouble sleeping (insomnia),Irritability,Agitation,Weight loss,Poor appetite,Increased sex drive

When to see a doctorIt's normal to have some days when you feel down. But if you feel down for days at a time and you can't seem to get motivated to do activities you normally enjoy, see your doctor. This is particularly important if you notice that your sleep patterns and appetite have changed or if you feel hopeless, think about suicide, or find yourself turning to alcohol for comfort or relaxation.

I think my favorite part of this diagnosis is under summer depression.. ha. See if you notice it too.. And should I be concerned that I find myself turning to alcohol for relaxation? Maybe I should see my doctor- along with the rest of the world. Regardless, I know personally when the weather is cold, rainy, dreary, damp, all of those disgusting things- than I usually feel dark and pissed off too. Weather like today has put me in a productive, energetic mood- I've cleaned, rearranged my room, did laundry, went shopping, grocery store all before 2:00pm, the music- MUMFORD and SONS, which is an absolutely amazing West London band...

Looking forward to heading out to Tapuit after my Nederlands lessons tonight to dance with the ever fabulous Marichen- She's the Spice to my Ginger so she says.. :)