Robin Beck

Really loved your site. Well done.

Andrew -- good point. The winter holy days may have
been 'inner light therapy' for the winter blues.

During the month of December I had to fill in for a co-worker at the hotel I work at here in Hawaii. Unfortunately for me, the shift I covered was the graveyard shift. Add to that my co-worker ended up taking three weeks off to recover...

Suffice it to say I suffered from SAD just due to turning my day upside down working graveyard for three weeks straight and getting only a couple hours of light at day.

But this reminds me that the winter holidays close to the solstice all celebrate the coming of the light. Simple enough. Celebrations help to pick up one spirit when they are SAD by interacting with friends/family and remind everyone that there is hope. The light will come...

Charles, sometimes I experience the same thing where a lot of chanting doesn't seem to snap me completely out of either a depression or fear, although it does make it somewhat better. Chanting does, however, help me see things in a better perspective, and helps me push through situations instead of becoming totally paralyzed with fear. Hang in there, you are on the right track.

Robin, I'm sorry to hear about the stress you've experienced in your family. I know the feeling, since I have experienced a lot of stressful events and dynamics in the family that I grew up in, myself. I'm also sorry to hear about a horrible event that happened near where you live. Just hang in there, you're doing great.

I didn't even notice the typo Neal. Thanks for the insightful commemts.

Gassho,

robin

Correction: What I posted on the Sangha should have read, "I find, myself, that as I get older, when the days get SHORTER and colder..." (I was still waking up this morning when I wrote that(lol)).

Hi Robin,

I agree, it seems like things are getting crazier in this world all the time. It's going to take every one of us to generate all the good vibes we can, in order to counteract the decline of values that this planet is seeing. It's even easy to get caught up in the downward spiral, sometimes. As long as we do our sincere best, that's what counts.

I liked the poem "Christ Climbed Down." I really think that if Jesus were alive today (and who knows, maybe he is) he would hang out in a sangha just like ours.

At your request, I am posting what I posted earlier today at the Sangha (here goes, for better or for worse(lol)):

I find, myself, that as I get older, when the days get longer and
colder, I have more trouble getting a good night's sleep. That also
leads to depression. It's funny, but when I was younger, I used to
love winter with all of it's cold, snowy weather. I still go skiing
about 10 times a winter and I still love to do that a lot. I have,
however, put the connection together that "Old Man Winter" can keep
us prisoner in our own homes as well. That, I think, can be a very
significant factor in the winter blues (cabin fever, so to speak).
This last Saturday Night, I had insomnia and decided to stay up all
night and spend much of the night chanting. In a way, I feel some
change, in that I feel more connected with the Lotus Sutra. That
certainly helps me a lot at a time like this. If anyone has ever
looked at the "ecliptic" on a globe ( the position of the sun at any
given time of the year ) you will find that we are now at a time
where the progression of the sun moving back up North is beginning to
accelerate. Yes, the days will start getting longer quickly from now
on (for those who live in the Northern Hemisphere).

Hang in there, all!
Neal

One more thing Chuck, I was raised like you. My Dad died of exhaustion at age 69. I tend to think like you expressed yourself below.

Maybe mettawaves and inner light therapy is making
me touchy-feely? Maybe that is not a bad thing. I think I needed to mellow out.

There was a murder across the river at BK. The world is very sick and needs healing. It seems to me depression is a normal response. Or maybe a bitter, hardened heart? I get angry and my BP goes to 300/200. Maybe love {maitri} IS the answer?

How common is SAD?
Between 4 and 6 percent of the U.S. population suffers from SAD, while 10 to 20 percent may suffer from a more mild form of winter blues. Three-quarters of the sufferers are women, most of whom are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. Though SAD is most common during these ages, it can also occur in children and adolescents. Older adults are less likely to experience SAD.

This illness is more commonly seen in people who live at high latitudes (geographic locations farther north or south of the equator), where seasonal changes are more extreme. It is estimated that 1 percent of Florida residents, 4 percent of Washington, D.C. residents, and nearly 10 percent of Alaska residents suffer from SAD.

What causes SAD?

The exact cause of this condition is not known, but the influence of latitude on SAD strongly suggests that it is caused by changes in the availability of sunlight. One theory is that with decreased exposure to sunlight, the biological clock that regulates mood, sleep, and hormones is delayed, running more slowly in winter. Exposure to light may reset the biological clock.

Another theory is that brain chemicals that transmit information between nerves, called neurotransmitters (for example, serotonin), may be altered in individuals with SAD. It is believed that exposure to light can correct these imbalances.

After I typed, I realized that wholesome work can trigger that inner light.

Depression has never been a major issue for me personally. In retrospect I can see that I have had mild winter depression in the past. One of my heart meds can cause sympomatic depression so we cut the dose this year.

One reason you do not know anyone is people will not talk about it. Part of the reason is the dismissive, belittling attitude that is encountered. That and all the free medical advice. Telling people to just work hard is a good way to end any honest discussion. It implies
they are just lazy.

My sister works at Carle. They see a LOT of SAD. People will come in weeping. You might be surprized who is taking meds.

Meds are not really an option for me. I have severe neurolgical reactions to many. We have tried a lot of things to treat my tremors and vertigo. Some of those are also used to treat
depression.

One of the antiverts [meclizene] put me in a wheel chair for three months.

I've heard that winter blues is an organic illness, but just like multiple chemical sensitivity, I have yet to see any good science on it. I've never had it and very few people I know have ever had it - we've all heard about it or read about, but it never seems to hot us like the flu or hayfever. Hope you feel better. I'm sorry if I promoted hard work when that just makes someone feel worse. I guess my Dad taught us kids that hard work was pretty much the answer for everything, so it's hard for me after all that conditioning to let any illness, organic or not, keep me depressed. If I get too depressed and chanting won't even get me out of it, I'll chemically alter myself and that does the trick. But no matter how depressed I get, it only lasts a couple of days.

Turn up those lights, Robin, and feel good aagain.

Charles

Hi,

Winter Blues is an organic illness, caused by lack of sunlight. Depression can be crippling. Telling
a person with organic depression to work hard will only make them sicker.

I used to treat mine with annual winter trips to SoCal or FL. Three days and 2 nights worked wonders. Since 1992, I can not handle the travel or expense.

"Inner Light Therapy" as a variation of mettawaves
meditation seems to be working. My Daimoku is connecting again. I had been in a funk since late November and nothing was working. It kept getting worse. I came across an article on SAD only a few days ago. The light came on.

As a winter baby, this time of the season is my power surge. Fall has always been my season of meloncholy go figure. I've always found hard-interesting work is the best medicine for the blues.

Charles