2. Treatments for S.A.D. For those who don't know, I've struggled with chronic depression since the late 1990's. It has become debilitating and even life-threatening at points. And it is always worse in the winter. My dad read an article in Psychology Today and asked me to look through my journals and see if I was getting sick more often in the winter and I complied and there was a huge correlation. My psychiatrist and my psychology were able to diagnose me with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I started with light therapy maybe three years ago and this year I added in Vitamin D3 supplementation. I still struggle but utilizing these combined therapies in the winter months has made a world of difference. Winter months I used to sleep 12 to 14 hours a day, unable to attend school or work when I was in the depths of a relapse. My eating disorder behaviors would become unmanageable and my personal relationships suffered to no end. Because of the research leading to these treatments, and my father's vigilaince in monitoring the research and also in helping me secure the means of treatment, I now have two powerful tools to battle this ailment that used to make so dysfunctional. I couldn't overcome it with my will or with talk therapy or with the regular anti-depressant I still take, but these treatments have changed my life.
3. The rest: clean kitchen, healthy turtle and cat, good friends, fiber-one cereal, presents, and arts and crafts.
Today's post was meant to be longer but I have to go to my writing group now :)
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