SAD
SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD)
Beata D. Jankiewicz, LCPC, CADC, ATR
I can’t find the joy within my soul
It's just sadness taking hold
I want to come in from the cold
And make myself renewed again.
It takes strength to live this way
The same old madness every day
I want to kick these blues away
I want to learn to live again...
- Annie Lennox, “Dark Road”
For the fifth time, you push the snooze on the alarm and you muster all the energy within your body to open your eyes. Your eye lids feel heavy, but you are compelled to get up -- not out of enthusiasm to begin the day, but out of guilt that this will have been the third or so consecutive day you would have arrived to work late. Upon finally arriving to the office, you still feel exhausted and depleted of energy and focus which once powered your day with excitement and creativity. Going to bed earlier last night didn’t help, in fact you feel more tired. Later, friends ask if you want to catch that new movie or try out a new restaurant, but you decline, for no particular reason. Family calls to ask if you want to spend time with them, reminding you that it has been a long time since your last visit. You let the calls go to voicemail, with no intention of calling back. So you return home where you spend the rest of your evening on the couch, watching TV or playing video games and eating junk food. You look up at the calendar and sigh.