April is the cruelest month. . Or so said gloomy poet T S. Eliot in his long poem, The Waste Land.
It seems he wasn't wrong. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - - otherwise known as the "winter blues"-is a well-known condition. But surprisingly, some people feel more depressed in spring and summer than at other times of the year. The days getting warmer and longer, and the fact that spring flowers and blossom represent new beginnings for some people, just make the spring blues worse for others.
●What Causes Reverse SAD?
Because it's not well understood or often spotted, it's hard to pin down the reasons for feeling down when everyone else seems to be full of the joys of springtime. With winter SAD, less sunlight is thought to disrupt the body's intimal clock and bring on depression. You might also be tempted to stay up later, throwing out your body clock.
●How Do You Recognize It?
Do you love the cold and feel much more energized at that time of year, while spring makes you feel much less positive? Again, this could be reverse SAD. And it sometimes runs in families, so look around at your nearest and dearest and note how they feel about the arrival of warmer, brighter days.
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Exercise can work wonders. A study found that ten weeks of standard exercise was 20 percent more effective than medication. And get plenty of sleep. Try to get up at the same time every day, even if you haven't slept well.
A. Can You Shake off Reverse SAD?
B. Can Exercise Help Overcome the Spring Blues?
C. This phenomenon is sometimes called "reverse SAD".
D. The spring blues may have a negative effect on people.
E. But if your depression shows no sign of lifting, see your doctor.
F. Reverse SAD, on the other hand, might be caused by too much sunlight.
G. Like traditional SAD, spring depression comes back at the same time every year.
