The Christian's Mental Health: Get Out! (in the Sunshine)

GET OUT! No, I mean it. Get out! It's roughly a week away from the fall time change. I dread everything about this rite of autumn. It's the same as if I moved east to another time zone, and resetting my biological clock is always a challenge. And even if the mornings are brighter, at least for a couple of weeks, nightfall comes suddenly crashing down. The sun is gone well before most folks leave work for home, at least where I live. How depressing! And this hits those of us with depression, unipolar or bipolar, especially hard. The New Connections Counseling Center tells us, "In fact, studies indicate that depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts seem to rise around time change...As we get less sunlight, our serotonin and melatonin levels drop, which can lead to feelings of apathy and depression."

So get out! Make the most of the sunlight you can get. Of course, please use SAD light therapy (a light box, white light or blue) to start your day. But once the sun is up and available, get out! No excuses. Adopt the old Postal Service adage and let "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stay...you from your daily appointment with sunshine." The Healthline folks tell us that "Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain's release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused. At night, darker lighting triggers the brain to make another hormone called melatonin."

And from the biblical perspective, "the Preacher," the writer of Ecclesiastes, writes:

Oh, how sweet the light of day,

And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!

Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted.

Take delight in each light-filled hour,

Remembering that there will be many dark days

And that most of what comes your way is smoke.

So GET OUT!

Blessings,

The Christian Bipole