Dec 29, 2021 Posted by Simon Rose

Seeing the Light: Writers and Seasonal Affective Disorder – Part Six

Regular physical exercise can help with stress relief and prevent the onset of SAD. Feeling more fit makes you feel better about yourself overall and generally improves your mood. Giving in to those winter blues can also be stressful and lead to overeating, overindulgence in alcohol or other unhealthy pursuits, so you need to take care of your body, watch your diet and get enough sleep. Make time to... read more

Dec 21, 2021 Posted by Simon Rose

Seeing the Light: Writers and Seasonal Affective Disorder – Part Five

Many people are adversely affected each year by the winter blues and writers are no exception. There are many ways to combat SAD, including antidepressants and other medications, but bright artificial light treatments are common as a means to give the body more exposure to the light that is lacking once winter approaches.  For SAD sufferers, shorter days and long nights can initiate depression,... read more

Dec 18, 2021 Posted by Simon Rose

Seeing the Light: Writers and Seasonal Affective Disorder – Part Four

In ancient Greece and Rome, the works of Plato, Aristotle, Virgil and others may have been composed at night, with very little illumination. Monks in the Middle Ages would also have worked all year round and such works as Beowulf or the Anglo Saxon Chronicle would never have been written if everyone in the scriptorium had SAD.  Did Shakespeare only write in the spring and summer? Candlelight was his... read more

Dec 16, 2021 Posted by Simon Rose

Seeing the Light: Writers and Seasonal Affective Disorder – Part Three

So how does SAD affect writers? Are those in Canada, the northern USA, and Scandinavia less prolific in the winter months? Does the cloud cover in Vancouver or in Britain reduce the amount of literary work originating in those areas? Do American writers in Florida create more prose between October and April than their counterparts in Minnesota?  Is a writer in Australia or South Africa more likely to... read more

Dec 14, 2021 Posted by Simon Rose

Seeing the Light: Writers and Seasonal Affective Disorder – Part Two

Seasonal Affective Disorder is primarily a mood disorder, with sufferers experiencing normal mental health throughout the year, but becoming depressed or generally more down in the winter months. Seasonal variations in a person’s mood may be related to light, or rather the lack of it.  SAD is often more prevalent in higher latitudes and in Finland, for example, the rate for SAD is close to 10%. Winter... read more