Tuesday, November 13, 2007

What's With People?

What's with people? If you mention "seasonal depression" they look at you funny and say "What's that?" So, you explain to them that it is a depression that takes place in winter when the sun doesn't shine enough and that it can make a person quite crazy emotionally. Then you get people who think that it is just a "vitamin deficiency," "You need to take lots of vitamin B," or "You should take minerals, I bet you are lacking in minerals." WHATEVER! Or, "Just trust Jesus to take that away." Okay, I know that He can and will help me through it. Or, here's one, "Maybe you should see your Dr. about that." Okay, here's what happens when you see a Dr. about that, They ask you if you are suicidal, or feel like harming anyone else or yourself, or if you suffer from chronic depression. Then they put you on meds and send you to counseling and in general, make you feel like a fool. So, NO, I AM NOT SUICIDAL. YES, I HAVE CHRONIC DEPRESSION. Most of the time I'm just fine. Most of the time I am happy and contented and basking in my freedom to live out my dream life. However, when the sun doesn't shine for 2 weeks and all I see out the window is gray fog and mist and the weather is drippy, I get a little crazy. Add that to PMS and the need for a good cleansing cry, and, well, I get a little drippy too. It's not about meds, or vitamins, or minerals. It's not about preachy religious viewpoints. It's not about how awful my life is. It's not about any of that. It's about drippy weather! It's about sunshine. It's about being a normal human being with struggles, just like everyone else. And when I get a little crazy, it's about my husband loving me and caring that I'm having a bad day and the kids trying to make me laugh. So, today, the sun is shining, and I have been outside to look at it and to bask in its rays. I've been out to make sure that I get my fill of sunny yellow rays and the smell of sunshine. My daughter may not get school done much today, but I will be feeling much better and will be able to cope with it! And, Who cares anyway if we are right on schedule or not? It's not like we have a huge deadline to meet, or somewhere to be! I love the freedom to be ourselves and to do things according to our whims. Just sometimes!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

People who live in, oh, say...Colorado also no longer know what 2 weeks of gray, dreary, drippy, crappy weather can do to a person. You think there is something wrong with you and then you realize you have not seen the sun for 2 weeks. That can really affect a persons' moods. I know this one. After a "season" like that, a girl could really use another 2 weeks of nothing but clear skies and sunshine. In the fall, a little crispness in the air can be a little rejuvenating. But not so crisp you can see your breath.

Amy said...

It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder, and I used to get it, too, when I was a kid. Especially in February, the worst month for cold, gray skies. I don't get it anymore, living here in Colorado, which is one reason I'm very resistant to moving away from here. I love how this place makes me feel, even in the dead of winter!