MessagesofLove_SingingTheblues

Welcome to The Salvation Army USA Eastern Territory Women's Ministries Website

Women’s Ministries Program

Theme:

“Messages of Love”

Singing the Blues

Karen Sparks

Education—January 2008

The Winter Blues

All About Winter

As they arrive, ask the women to write on a sheet of paper their favorite thing about winter. When everyone has had the opportunity to answer, share their responses.

What Are the Winter Blues?

Although winter holds a lot of fun for most people, for others it can be quite a different story. It can be almost unbearable. This is because as winter approaches, and the days get shorter, some folks experience a form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder or S.A.D. This malady has a milder version called “the winter blues.” Approximately 35 million Americans are affected to some degree by S.A.D. Women are four times more

likely to suffer from it as men, and approximately 80% of those women are over the age of 30.

The winter blues is caused by the shorter days with the reduction of sunlight. As the seasons change, there is a shift in our biological internal clocks, partly in response to the

changes in sunlight patterns. Our bodies may have difficulty adjusting to the shortage of sunlight in the winter months. Melatonin, a sleep related hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain, increases in production with increased levels of darkness. So when the days are shorter and darker, the production of this hormone increases. These blues occur most often in January and February, when the days are the shortest. It also stands to reason that the farther north you live, the more common the disorder becomes.

Symptoms of the Winter Blues

* Lack of energy and increased fatigue

* Increased need for sleep, the need to hibernate, or sleeping disorders like insomnia

* Increased appetite, weight gain and a craving for sugary and starchy foods

* Irritability and difficulty concentrating, the loss of focus; desire to avoid social contact

* Loss of interest in sex and physical contact

* Depression, feelings of misery, hopelessness, despair

These symptoms can occur within this milder version of Seasonal Affective Disorder, but caution must be taken to address the problems if they seem more severe. One of the dangers of S.A.D. is the severe depression suffered by some of its victims. All of us

have a few days when we are down, but if your mood stays down, then it is time to get help. Your doctor or local clinic can refer you to someone who can assist you.

How to Reduce the Symptoms of the Winter Blues

* Follow a low–fat diet, avoiding excessive protein, lower your intake of sugar and carbohydrates

* Lower or eliminate caffeine from your diet, including coffee, soda, chocolate

* Exercise—walks outside increase the good feeling hormone, dopamine and increase your energy level!

* Take a winter vacation in a sunny place

* Get more light into your home

* For severe cases, light therapy, prescription drugs, and counseling may be required.

Activities

Check the CD–ROM for games and further activities.

Devotions

Your Hands Made Me

It is fascinating to learn how our bodies are affected by sunlight or the lack of it. It remains a mystery how people living within the same geographic area can be affected so differently by the same surroundings. It is reassuring to read in the Scriptures that God made us, each an unique individual. He not only knows us, He understands us and how we operate. As humans, we long for a connection with someone who knows all about us and still loves us. We have that with the Lord.

The Psalms contain many references to how God knows us. Psalm 119:73 tells us, “Your hands made me and formed me.” Psalm 139:13–16 gives us great comfort as it tells us, “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” These verses should be a comfort to us, as we cannot experience anything in our lives that He isn’t already aware of. When we feel worthless, we should remember that He

loves us with an everlasting love.

1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that, “No temptation [and that includes the temptation to think God made a mistake when He made you] has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” When we are suffering from physical and emotional ailments, like the winter blues, it is easy to forget that the Lord knows all that is happening to us. He provides us with His Word; full access to Him through prayer; the fellowship of believers; and great Christian medical professionals and counselors who can assist us in managing stress.

Although we may suffer from the winter blues for a season, 2 Corinthians 4:6 reminds us that, “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

Editor’s Note: There is more information that goes with this material. If you are interested you may purchase the book and CD.