It’s Hard to Feel SAD in Sedona!
Some of us, especially young people, find that they experience an intensification of depressive symptoms during the fall or winter. This seasonal occurrence is stronger for those living in northern regions, such as New England, and less so for those living in balmier climes, such as Florida.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is the name given to this unpleasant experience and it is not considered a separate category of depression, but rather a specific form of it . The disorder appears to be connected with the availability of sunlight, and one of the most effective therapies for SAD is sitting near a light box for up to 20 minutes per day.
Of course, if you happen to live in Arizona, your need for a light box is greatly diminished. The state has one of the highest number of sunny days in the nation and Phoenix is, on average, the sunniest city in America (about 85 percent of its days include sun). That makes Arizona a good place for a facility like Red Mountain Sedona, located two hours from Phoenix.
As the saying goes in real estate, the secret of success is location, location, location. We definitely do not want to claim that our location is in any way a cure for depression or for SAD. However, we do think that the simple presence of sunshine on a continuing basis is a great benefit of the RMS program. Of course, we are also aware of the debilitating effects of the underlying problem of depression and approach that challenge in a variety of mindfulness-based practices, from meditation to martial arts.
That’s why we say, “It’s hard to be SAD in Sedona!”