Seasonal Affective Disorder is a mood disorder that basically just means that people who usually don't have any mental health issues have depressive moods around the same time every year, usually in the winter.
Bonus points for anyone who has seen Wild Child and only thinks of the "SAD" scene whenever they read this. I had always heard about this but never knew if it was really true. I had always heard stories of people living in northern Europe who have to get UV therapy in the winter because they get so depressed.
Living in South Carolina all my life, I'm pretty used to seeing the sun more days than not so this always seemed like a wild concept. However, this semester I was truly exposed to winter in a place that I never expected to find it. I naively never thought Italy could be so incredibly dismal. I got here towards the end of January and honestly, I feel as though I haven't seen the sun in months. Every day seemed darker, colder and rainier than the last and it really got to me. I wasn't sad, I was just in a bad mood.
I got back from spring break on Sunday and was amazed and still am amazed that the sun has been out and it has actually been warm for three days straight. As I was sitting on the bridge next to my apartment eating some gelato yesterday I couldn't help but reflect on how much happier I felt by just having the sun on my face for an hour. I can't say that I have been unhappy here because that just isn't true.
I will say, however, that I haven't found myself loving it here. I can say with confidence that has 95% to do with the weather. It gets you down when you wake up every morning to a gray sky, most likely rain, and cold temperatures.
I didn't know how to get myself out of the funk, these sad feelings that seemed to consume me, but things are eons better with just three days of sunlight. It's amazing.
According to my professors, spring has officially started and if every day is going to be like this until I leave, I finally can understand why people have a hard time leaving this place!
