Letter from the study (with a SAD lamp switched on)
Be still, and know that I am God - Psalm 46:10
Seasonally Affected Disorder is a well-known condition and one which I
suffer with. Each year at this time I begin to crave carbohydrates, sugar, and
sleep. I go to bed at 8pm when I can and I would get up at about 9am if I
could. My activities slow down as does my brain (no change there really).
Why does this happen to people? especially people who live in seasonal
countries north of the equator.
We are a people who have evolved to live by daylight and night. Our crops
were seasonal, our holidays were seasonal and our clothes were seasonal.
Our week was 6 working days and one of rest; When the sun rose so did we,
when it set we slept; that is how it is meant to be and would be if we did not
force science to make it different.
It all seems so much better in many ways;
Electricity for artificial light to make our days longer
For freezers and fridges to keep food longer – strawberries in December!!!
Air travel that enables us to arrive in a place before we took off!!!! Lol
Working weeks of 7 days in a shift pattern so we can shop 24/7.
Hot cross buns all year around
Cadburys cream eggs at Christmas and yes! Christmas decorations in the
shops at the end of September.
It is any wonder then that many of us suffer from stress or tiredness or both,
constantly being pushed along by artificial sequences of events! I for one
don’t want strawberries in November, I want oranges on Christmas day, I
don’t want to be working till midnight, I want to rest alongside everyone else
when the community goes quiet. I would rather keep a whole day as
Sabbath time, I don’t want an hour here or 15 minutes there.
I am not a luddite; I do value most forms of technology but I think we have
given those who develop the technology too much power over our lives. We
can and should chose to slow down, turn off the TV, read a book! we can
encourage others who are worn out by over work and disconnection from
families due to long shift patterns and no supported Sabbath day (which
doesn’t have to be Sunday) to slow down too.
Do you remember when the food you ate was worth waiting for. Apple pie in
September, Rhubarb in June, Strawberries in July, Tangerines and oranges
in December, tins of sweets for Christmas day, roast dinner on the Sabbath,
with seasonal veg. life was understood by the variety and change in season,
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