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| Harjot Atwal |
Last year, for exercise, I started walking outside for an hour at a time as I wrote here. I have always been a treadmill guy. So, why did I start walking outside? The answer involves laziness. The treadmill we have at home no longer works well, and the nearest GoodLife is 20 to 25 minutes away by car.
In essence, I got lucky. My laziness led me to get more sunlight. Beyond the benefits of sweating out about two pounds per hour of walking outside (and getting a better tan!), there was a noticeable improvement in my mood unrelated to weight loss. I simply felt better getting more sun.
My family doctor had told me earlier in 2023 (before I started my walking regimen): “You have some of the lowest levels of vitamin D I have ever seen for a guy still walking around.” She told me to start taking vitamin supplements. While I am still doing that, natural vitamin D through sunlight in addition to breathing fresh air, being in nature and getting engaged in photography again also helped my mood.
How does this relate to seasonal affective disorder (SAD)? Well, it is most commonly associated with lower levels of sunlight experienced during the winter months. My phone tells me today that sunset will occur at 4:47 PM. For me, this means I have to do the five-minute walk to my new gym — Anytime Fitness — before then. Over the last week, I’ve actually noticed I am less likely to go the gym if the sun is not still out. I don’t necessarily feel depressed. I just find I have less energy at darker times.
So, what are the symptoms of SAD? Well, according to www.lawyerswithdepression.com, consider the following:
- Low energy, feelings of grogginess or excessive sleep. People with summer SAD may experience insomnia.
- Changes in appetite. People with SAD are vulnerable to weight gain. SAD sometimes causes carbohydrate cravings, because carbs offer a temporary energy boost.
- Irritability and anger.
- Changes in your relationships with others. People with SAD often feel lonely and rejected.
- Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities.
- Feelings of guilt.
- Dread or uncertainty about the future.
- Loss of motivation.
- Feelings of sadness.
All of these symptoms will impact our respective abilities to practise law, to some degree or another, and to give our clients the best legal representation (and versions of ourselves), we have to offer.
What I was interested to find in researching this article is that SAD is not restricted to winter months. It could occur in spring, summer or autumn. It truly is “seasonal.”
For instance, there could be seasonal associations with trauma and grief. If you have suffered a trauma or loss, you may find SAD kicking in at that same time each year. You may not even be aware of it. My grandmother passed away on Nov. 4, 2023, and perhaps that is the reason I have written so many mental health articles this month. I don’t know. Apparently, though, our minds do form strong connections between memories of the past and the sights and sounds of seasonal shifts.
Certain other health issues could also contribute to SAD symptoms. For anyone who has had to walk around on crutches and experienced limited mobility, as I have after breaking some bones, you know that your mood definitely goes down. Similar things could happen in the spring if you have severe allergies or in the winter if you experience chronic bronchitis.
Cultural traditions may also play a role. Indeed, I have heard people often claim that Christmas is a difficult time of the year for them. Perhaps they are estranged from loved ones and the holidays serve as a painful reminder. Blue Monday (which will be Jan. 20, 2025) is considered to be the most depressing day of the year (though there is a debate about the pseudoscience involved with that term’s origin). It’s certainly possible that holiday difficulties play as much of a role in the classification of that day as do the year’s lowest levels of sunlight.
So, what do we do about SAD? I’m not going to advocate or endorse any specific treatment. After all, I’m not a doctor. But, the above-linked article (which is written by a guy with an M.D.) mentions trying:
- to get 20 to 40 minutes of direct sunlight by going outside;
- sitting under a UV lamp for a short period of time each day;
- psychotherapy to talk through your feelings and identify problematic thought patterns; and
- antidepressants, which may need to be only taken for a short period, if lifestyle changes are not sufficient to get things back on track.
As a real estate lawyer, maybe I am lucky that things tend to slow down in the winter when I personally feel that SAD will likely affect me most. People generally tend to not want to move in the winter (thus impacting those buying or selling residential real estate), so the volume of real estate transactions usually goes down for me.
That being said, we owe it to our clients (and to ourselves) to be the best we can be in order to provide competent and conscientious service. So, if taking any of the above steps, talking with a medical professional about treatment and preventative measures, or just doubling down on your coping mechanisms (which may mean forcing yourself to go to the gym even when it is dark, or maybe jokingly writing a poem about how going to the gym sucks sometimes) helps, then go all in on your self-care.
Lastly, if you found this article helpful or interesting, I would recommend you read Courtney Mulqueen’s piece in Law360 Canada about SAD here. She has over 20 years of experience litigating disability claims as well as working with people with mental health and chronic conditions, and I found her perspective helpful.
Here’s a pleasant parting thought for the spiritually minded by John J. Geddes: “I pray this winter be gentle and kind — a season of rest from the wheel of the mind.”
Harjot Atwal is a real estate lawyer. In 2023, he opened up his own shop, Atwal Law Firm. You can reach him via email at harjot@atwallawfirm.ca, by phone at 905-264-8926 or on LinkedIn.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the author’s firm, its clients, Law360 Canada, LexisNexis Canada or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.
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