Thursday, February 18, 2010
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Thursday, February 18, 2010 |
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Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | Photo Gallery |
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Close to Nowhere SAD... I didn’t read Barry’s column after seeing his headline because I also want to talk about snow. Ricky Nobile’s cartoon, right between Barry’s and my columns, also speaks on the wintry weather we’re suffering through. I’ve tried very hard this winter not to succumb to “SAD.” According to the Mayo Clinic website (what did we do before Google?) “Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that occurs in relation to the seasons, most commonly beginning in winter. Symptoms include: • Afternoon slumps with decreased energy and concentration • Carbohydrate cravings • Decreased interest in work or other activities • Depression that starts in fall or winter • Increased appetite with weight gain • Increased sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness • Lack of energy • Low, sluggish, lethargic movement • Social withdrawal (Amen to all the above!) “Light therapy using a special lamp to mimic light from the sun may be helpful. “Symptoms commonly get better on their own with the change of seasons.” I really think, considering the winter that we’ve had, I’ve done very well this year. Normally, before Christmas I start having problems with SAD. This year, I worked at avoiding it, including using an Ott lamp with “natural” light. That always helps. Then, it started snowing. The first snow was fine, even kind of exciting. The second snow was OK and the third snow was by far the prettiest. But, by the time it started snowing, it had been zero degrees here for weeks. God made me Southern for many reasons, the top one of which is that I absolutely hate to be cold! And it has been bitterly cold here for months and months now! My former son-in-law said that it was 40 degrees below zero in Mobridge, S.D., where he and his wife Amanda live. With a wind chill of 60 below. I don’t even want to go there in the summer! My normal, slightly grumpy disposition has bottomed out at “don’t even look in my direction!” I’ve turned into my dad -- limping around, complaining about how my arthritis hurts (and boy does it!) and being generally disagreeable. After these past endless months of being cold I cannot wait for spring! When my daffodils bloom, if a freeze gets them, heaven help me! With spring, comes Paducah. Maybe, just maybe, I will survive the winter of 2010. |
     
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