Thursday, 16 July 2009
-
Feeling Depressed When Everyone Seems To Be Happy...
I’ve always thought people who feel depressed during the winter was mostly due to the cold and gloomy weather. Well, I don’t blame them. I consider myself to be a pretty happy and optimistic person, but I have to admit that the brutal winters in NY definitely make me depressed sometimes, too.Then how about when winter mercifully ends, and finally the “beautiful” summer comes? How about when the weather is perfect (if it’s not so muggy and rainy all the time)—sunny and with just a little bit of breeze blowing in your face? Sounds like a dreamland where every single person would be cheery and content with everything, right? (except for those who don’t like summer in general)
But apparently, there are people who would still feel depressed during this “perfect” time of the year, too. This rare form of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is called “summer depression,” which usually starts late spring or early summer and ends in fall. (About 10 percent of people with SAD get it).
The symptoms of summer depression tend to be somewhat opposite in that while symptoms of winter depression include oversleeping, weight gain, and cravings for foods high in carbs, summer depression includes insomnia, poor appetite, and weight loss. While winter depression is due to a lack of sunlight, summer depression may be due to the increased sunlight and heat (more research is needed to discover other causes of summer depression). I don’t think I’ve ever felt depressed in the summer without any reason, but I wonder what normally causes people to get depressed when everyone seems to be so happy.
Have you ever felt depressed during the summer without any reason? Why did you think you felt that way? How did you cope with your negative feelings?
RecommendRelated Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to healthkicker's Healthkicker Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in healthkicker's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: kimjh125
- Name: Joo
- About Me: I'm a health fanatic who loves to run, do yoga, and basically anything that's active! I'm not a fast runner, but definitely someone who enjoys the run itself. I also like listening to music when I run. I'd listen to anything except heavy metal. Happy Running everyone!! Always be happy and healthy!! :D
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 185 Views: 0 300759 Comments: 0 6177 View all posts by kimjh125
Comments (28)
I have been diagnosed with clinical depression. It doesn't really seem to be worse at different times of the year or anything, at least not that I've noticed.
Lately overall I haven't been feeling to perky... summer or winter. However, I seem to dislike the summer more. Although, my unhappiness seems to be for different reasons between the seasons. =_=
I never feel depressed during the summer. I'm happy like 99% of the time during the summer, and it takes a lot to get me down. I tend to be really moody and unhappy during the winter though.
yes but there are reasons. lol.
Just gotta wait it out. I do at least. I hate summer and live for winter.
"...summer depression includes insomnia, poor appetite, and weight loss."
Funny. This describes me. Perfectly.
0.o
@abcdefgaby@xanga - that describes me too
... I think depression doesnt just have to be seasonal...
yes.
i don't know why i felt that way, but i just try to sleep it off or drink excessively..
which i know isn't good, but it's all i could come up with.
@n1colee@xanga - Same here.
When it gets to the point where the days are shorter and it's gloomy outside, my mood gets super low. I mean, there are other factors that make me feel really down during the colder months, but those factors probably wouldn't bother be as much if they took place during the summer months.
I'm just happier during the summer.
Some of that might also have to do with school.
I'm kind of an introvert, so being around lots and lots of people for an extended period of time can have a negative effect on me...
I have an aunt who has the summer version of SAD. She doesn't like sunny days but apparently she loves cloudy ones.
i get depressed at different times of the year and mine doesnt seem to be linked to seasons/weather/sunlight
i heard that the winter SAD people can buy a lamp that radiates light similar to sunlight frequencies and it helps them
it would suck to have the summer version of SAD
so SAD
sorry I couldn't resist that one
summer makes me happy, mostly anyway. but i have insomnia, and it's harder to sleep at night during the summer. i don't know why, but it has always been a problem for me. then again i pretty much have some sort of insomnia throughout any season of the year.
I have general depression, so I wouldn't really know if it's worse in one season than another, but I sure as hell can tell you I feel better in the Winter. I despise summer. Despise. The only good thing about summer is swimming. Winter: holidays, my birthday, my wedding anniversary, snow (kind of), sweats (I love sweaters and layers), boots. Life is good. Plus all the plants are dead and I can breathe without wheezing.
Yes, I am aware that this was pretty irrelevant, but it felt necessary :) I guess the relevance would be that if I am more depressed, that's why? Yeeeeeah.
Thank you for all the interesting comments! I think I've heard or read this somewhere before... (not sure if this is true or not) that people also tend to get more depressed when everything around you seems so "perfect" and happy, but you feel like you're the only one that's not.... What do you think??
I just don't like being away from all my friends, having nothing to do, and living on the computer. I feel like such a slug when the only things I have to do are the mall (sometimes), tv, the computer, eating, sleeping, and the treadmill. Ugh.
In the winter... I lose the most weight.. in the summer i dont really gain cuz i play tennis and run everyday. I do get kinda sad in the winter cuz of the weather and crap. In the summer, I feel kinda sad when im at home for more than a week with nothing to do but homework.
I sometimes used to feel depressed during the summer because I'd be bored out of my mind and miss all of my friends. The change in the season seems to have no effect on my mood. Sometimes I just feel depressed in any season, even when I don't really have a reason to.
Frankly, I have never really experienced a seasonal depression. Seasonal ailments of certain parts of my body, yes, but not the mind. Perhaps because for 20+ years I am a caffeine and energy drink consumer (breakfast replacement) and it has always worked wonderfully, giving energy in the morning lasting for the whole day.
> Have you ever felt depressed during the summer without any reason?
No.
> Why did you think you felt that way?
Because seasons no longer have impact on my health. As a kid I hated falls and winters, because I could feel pain in my joints. At the beginning of living in Atlanta, I was susceptible to low atmospheric pressure and rain, and generally felt bad on such day.(many of them in this city during a year).
Then, somehow, after 2-3 years, everything negative induced by weather or seasons. I think I know why. The only exception is pollen time period in spring, when I get very mad because I hate carewashing more often than needed!!!
> How did you cope with your negative feelings?
Started and continued working out. Dropped weight. Started taking multivitamins and separately vitamin D (produced in body by exposure to sun). Spent more time in areas with lots of daily light whenever I could not be directly outside. Started even going to a tanning salon for additional portion of light and a small increasing in feeling good that I'm not pale anymore
Not having experience "summer depression" i don't know what to advise you. The only sensible approach is to go to a doctor, describe symptoms, and ask for a multidepressant for a few months. That's what I would do.
i didn't know depression could be differentiated by seasons.
Depressed during summer? Yes, but mostly because my parents are strict and I'm not allowed to do anything but study.
Huh, I've always wondered why I never felt my best during winter. I've heard of seasonal depression before, but I never thought it was a legit form of depression.
Menopause and Summer depression seem to go hand in hand. I used to love Summer, but now I feel so hot and cranky that I want to cry every time it's a sunny day. The sun makes my skin itch and burn now, where it never did before. It gets light so early that I wake up too early, and have a hard time falling asleep because I need several hours to unwind after the sun goes down, and it's light outside til after 8pm. I am thoroughly looking forward to the return of Fall, when the days are short and cool, and the sun knows enough to stay out of sight til at least 6am.
Since Summer depresses me, I really feel cheated that I got the insomnia, but not the weight loss. That climbs steadily no matter what season.
Ways for men
to stay healthy at any age
Use the checklist to help you stay healthy at 50+. The checklists help
answer your questions about what daily steps you can take for good health,
whether you need medicines to prevent disease, and which screening tests you
need and when to get them.
Tips to
Improve Your Voice
Healthy
menu's for children and adults
Tighten
Loose Neck Skin
Laugh your
way to good health with laughter yoga
Important
reason to eat slower for everyone
Wheezing in
babies may cause of foretell asthma
Its better to Avoid Being a Third Wheel