"I just went outside, and there's this big yellow thing in the sky," she said. "It could be the sun, but I don't know."
Yesterday's break in the ceiling of gray sky, a shocking departure from weeks of rain, sleet, chill and coffee shop gripes, was brightening spirits everywhere yesterday. "I was so grouchy for days, and now, it feels like spring," said a teacher on spring break as she headed down Main Street.
"It's coming! It's coming!" said a mom who was walking along in the other direction.
Could it be that, yes, spring is coming? With sunny skies and
For weeks, slate-colored skies, chilled rains, sleet and mud have fueled laziness and fed the fussies for many, particularly those of us with roots somewhat closer to the equator.
These are the doldrums of the Berkshires, that miserly subseason between winter and spring, between snowplowing and lawn mowing, between skiing and cycling, between stoking stoves and planting flowers.
We crave to be in the actual places in those tropical advertisements for blue water vacations and where nothing less than SPF60 will do. We struggle to motivate and activate, when, really, a hot bath or a down comforter is what
For many, the season doesn't mark their mood: They are active "winterists," sensibly dressed in layers and hats, for skiing or snowshoeing on a typical cold day. When mud season comes, they are at the gym, or they are fortunate enough to "get away" for a week or a month.
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"There's no doubt — it's very clear — that people are affected by the weather," said Stephen Bannon, owner of Bill's Pharmacy in Great Barrington. "People talk about a lot of different subjects when it's sunny out."
Bannon said he observes that anti-depressant prescriptions increase during the winter months and drop off somewhat as the weather brightens.
SAD is now a recognized mental health condition related to light deprivation, and the use of special "light boxes" has been shown to alleviate depressive symptoms for some people.
However, diagnosing seasonal affective disorder can be tricky.
True SAD is a period of depression distinctly linked to winter months — short days, early dark nights — and is marked by persistent fatigue, disinterest in usual activities, social withdrawal, food cravings, and insomnia and anxiety. Symptoms can be moderate to severe. The disorder is more common in northern latitudes.
Dr. Eric M. Plakun, a psychiatrist and admissions director at Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, said seasonal depression is not always SAD — a winter mood drop can be linked to, say, a history of traumatic holiday events in childhood — so pinpointing a pattern is essential.
Other people may have symptoms of depression year-round, but those symptoms may worsen in winter months. For those people, light therapy may be of limited help if there is underlying chronic depression, Plakun said.
"It's important that people who get the SAD diagnosis are people who have a pattern of being depressed in the winter and having a remission in spring or summer, where they do not have other mood episodes," he said.
Treatment can involve mental health counseling, medication and lifestyle adjustments, Plakun said. Exercise is helpful for depression in general, but not always an easy first step for someone whose condition is serious, he added.
Dianne Steele of Great Barrington said that gray weather can make for a gray mood, but she exercises regularly and keeps in mind that spring will, in fact, arrive.
"Last night, I opened the door and got a little feeling of spring in the air, and I got so excited," she said. "I definitely have had a little cabin fever going on. I want to go to the beach and put my toes in the sand."
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