Okay, so if you spend a fair amount of time scrolling like me, you’ve probably seen the posts about the seasonal depression floating away once that late February/early March sun hits you. There’s just something about that sun beaming down that feels warmer, and almost, healing? The concept sounds like BS, but let’s break it down and talk about it, from my unprofessional perspective, of course.
I’ll start off by saying that I had great intentions of getting out earlier this morning when there were fewer clouds and the sun was brighter, but alas, it took me a while to get out here, and so I captured the sunshine the best that I could. However, even just a bit of sun peeking through made for a blissful walk. You don’t need a cloudless day to enjoy the end of a cold, dark winter!
I mentioned that the sun feels warmer, and I don’t think it’s just because of the slightly warmer temps – although that definitely plays a big part. For me personally, knowing that spring is on the horizon and we’re through the darkest part of the year makes the sun feel so much more promising. A cold day in March with the sun out feels better in my brain than a mild day in the middle of January.
Besides the anticipation for spring and a change-up in the weather, there are actual physical benefits to taking a walk in the sun. Those rays provide more than light, they also feed your body some much-deprived vitamin D. From what I’ve gathered from Healthline.com, when UVB rays hit our skin, we naturally use the UVB in partnership with cholesterol in our body to synthesize vitamin D. Vitamin D has a ton of benefits, like directing healthy cell function. A lack of vitamin D, also learned from Healthline, can be linked to muscle weakness, cancer, and depression! So yes, to answer the burning question in the title, sunshine very well can cure your seasonal depression, or at least aid in the process.
Regardless of the sunshine, there are so many benefits to simply getting out of the house and breathing some fresh air. We spend so much of the winter indoors, and breathing in that cold, crisp air can literally feel like a full-body reset sometimes. Not to mention the physical activity obviously being good for our bodies too. I’m not seeing the negative in this situation, am I missing something? Sure you can take a walk outside in the deep of winter, and you really should if you can, but the warm sunshine and prospect of spring makes it so much easier.
Just wanted to include one more pic of blue sky before cutting myself off. If you’re able to, get outside and enjoy whatever capacity of sunshine you have access to. I promise even just twenty minutes outside will get you feeling good in some way. And if you don’t feel good afterwards, you can feel good about proving me wrong (simultaneously proving me right in the process…). Thanks for reading!
Outdoors With Eden 