saving ink

I’m going to attempt a public experiment. Since moving to Poland (a very, very cold climate) from Texas (an unbearably hot climate) four years ago, I have either developed Seasonal Affective Disorder, or I have always had it but it lay dormant as long as I had regular exposure to sunlight during the winter. But now that I live in a place where the sun sets around 4 pm for months at a time, the textbook lethargy, physical weakness, melancholy, and general lack of enthusiasm for anything have started to appear on a regular basis during this time.

And frankly, SAD is a pain in the ass. While I wish I could indulge in the “tortured artist” stereotype and create great works of beauty during this period, unfortunately depression just generally renders me useless. Then, this uselessness leads to being even more depressed about my uselessness (and stressed on top of it, because my to-do list only grows in winter), creating an endless, annoying cycle. So this year I plan to end it, with an experiment as follows:

Hypothesis: A deficiency of vitamin D is the main cause of my seasonal depression.

Reasoning: This depression feels more chemical than emotional, so the best course of action is to fight it with chemistry. By this I mean that I cannot at any point pin my feelings on any particular cause, and thus they seem irrational (and even more irritating because of that). I think the physical lack of vitamin D, rather than an emotional response to a lack of sunlight (which I don’t get to enjoy that much of in the summer anyway because I work full-time), is the culprit.

Experiment: I will begin with the recommended daily allowance of 1000 IU of vitamin D via supplements for two weeks. If I do not notice any results, I’ll gradually up the dosage (within a safe range, of course).

Result: I’ll let you know in March.

Meanwhile, does anyone else find themselves SAD in winter? Have you tried to fight it, and if so, how?

EDIT: I am not moving from Poland this winter at least, and even when I do move it won’t be to a hot climate again, so that’s out. Also, I can’t afford one of those fancy sun-like lights.