7 Ways to Combat Daylight Savings Blues

Tears began slipping down my face. Soon, I could not hold them back, as loud sobs escaped. We had just left my mom’s nursing home. She didn’t recognize us, and she or he had no idea it was Thanksgiving Day 2006. I needed my mom to comfort me, but she couldn’t try this. I’m glad she didn’t know the reality; that her granddaughter, my daughter, had left home and wanted nothing to do with us.Her departure in September drove me right into a deep, dark depression. I felt good on the antidepressants, but I desired to stop taking them. During the short autumn days and the vacations, I cried loads. As much as I hated to confess it, I needed to return to my doctor and confess that I couldn’t handle life.My doctor didn’t seem alarmed. He told me that the autumn and early winter days affect our moods. He suggested I begin the meds again, and if I felt like stopping them, we could try this within the spring. (When I ended taking the meds, I did it under his supervision. Please never try to stop antidepressants cold turkey.)That’s the primary time I heard of Seasonal-Affected Disorder (SAD). My doctor explained that our bodies respond otherwise to the short dark days between fall and spring because there’s less sunlight.Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Toa Heftiba