Just for kicks, I actually googled "winter doldrums" and was surprised to find a slew of articles about the science behind the condition, and even suggestions for possible treatments. (But then again, I shouldn't be surprised at anything you can find on google; the search engine is a semi-god to me).
A few tidbits from a well-written WebMD article give a nice summary of my life since returning from Georgia for the holidays:
"The gloom caused by Mother Nature each winter in much of the country is biologically felt to some degree by an estimated one in four of us -- usually starting around October and then magically ending by April with spring's thaw. For most people, it manifests as winter doldrums, the "I-can't-wait-for-winter-to-end" feeling that produce mild but manageable sluggishness and food cravings. But about 11 million Americans have a more severe form of winter depression -- seasonal affective disorder, the aptly acronymed SAD that is, typically diagnosed after at least two consecutive years of more intense symptoms.
"While a person with winter doldrums may have difficulty waking up or getting out of bed at times, someone with seasonal affective disorder can't get to work on time," says Michael Terman, PhD, director of the Winter Depression Program at New York Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University Medical Center. "With the doldrums, it's in the norm to gain up to 5 or 6 pounds over the winter, but with full-blown SAD, weight gain can be far more than that."
Well, at least I shouldn't feel alone in my winter angst. We've had a few bright and sunny afternoons lately, though the temperatures still remain cold enough to keep the two feet of snow and ice covering the ground. All I know is, I will appreciate the hell out of Spring when it finally gets here, and I won't take warm weather for granted anymore!
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