We’ve had a few emails and comments lately from people who are finding the winter weather a bit depressing.  This is quite normal, and for those further south with less hours of sunlight it’s fairly normal to be affected by ‘SAD’ – Seasonal Affective Disorder…basically not enough sunlight can make some people feel depressed, flat, lethargic.

However – the days are now getting longer – and no matter how you look at it spring tends to be brighter, warmer and full of new life.

Each week in September we gain roughly an extra 20 minutes of sunlight, which means well over an hour of daylight is gained in just one month – then daylight savings begins late September and we instantly gain another hour of sunlight (at the end of the day anyway).

It’s normal for people to be tired of wet weather, tired of being indoors, and missing the warmth of the sun on their skin.  Spring is the season when, for many of us, we tend to be outdoors more and enjoy the sunshine and warmth more often.

Some, however, are even happier in the darker months of winter.  A few tell us they enjoy the shorter, darker, days and being indoors more often. 

In all our polls over a decade asking which season is your favourite, Autumn wins hands down. But spring has a magic to it that no other season has – it’s the start of so much life, the return of brightness, and we see far more colour out in mother nature.

So if you’re feeling a bit down, we hope you see the positive side to spring…it’s certainly on our doorstep now. For further support please click the links below.  Have a wonderful weekend NZ!

– Image / File, John Krippner

– WeatherWatch.co.nz

For more info…

• www.Depression.org.nz
• www.depression.org.nz/rural
• More about SAD: www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/a-z/resource/43/sad?gclid=CKuox7e_uMcCFQWXvQodwc0Hew