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Re: Relocating, Lightboxes and SAD

Posted by IsoM on September 5, 2002, at 13:45:03

In reply to Relocating to Combat Depression, posted by J200 on September 5, 2002, at 11:40:11

I am very affected by the diminishing light levels of winter but also have year round depression that needs some medication help too.

I have a light box, not the prettiest, but the cheapest available & surprisingly, one of the highest output of light. I love my light box but haven't found it could substitute for the diminishing hours of light from winter.

It's recomended that one uses it at a certain distance to get the full benefit & for at least 20-30 minutes each day. Alas, the light output is the equivalent of full noon of an overcast day, or 10,000 Lux - not nearly enough to do the job for me. I can't spend my whole day under it either to benefit more. It takes more than a half-hour of light on a cloudy day to boost my mood.

I was having a lot of difficulty with SAD when I was living on the prairies. The hours of sunshine are much greater there than where I live now in the Pacific Northwest (renowned for its rainy winters). But the winters were so incredibly long there & so bitterly cold that I rarely got out much in winter. I actually do better here in the Northwest due to much milder climate & the length of time I can stay outside - even gardening in November & December still.

So based on my experiences only, lightboxes don't do enough (others say they do for them though) & a move to a place where I could spend more time outside did improve my SAD. To be perfectly honest, the benefits felt could have been due to other factors too. I hated the prairies & was overjoyed to move back to my old home area. But even after 12 years here, I still feel better in winter than I did on the prairies.

Personally, I wish I had enough money for two separate homes - one in Sweden in the summer & in New Zealand in their summer. Or maybe I should just be a migratory bird & fly south each year. ^_^


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poster:IsoM thread:118890
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