Thank Yous and Springtime Seasonal Affective Disorder

Thanks to everyone for all your congrats for my Hugo nomination!

I’m thrilled beyond words. Literally. I keep trying to express how much being a Hugo nominee means to me, how awed I was as a young reader by the stories in the first Hugo Winners anthologies—you know the ones, edited by Isaac Asimov—and how they inspired me as a writer. And every time I try, it comes out sounding trite or inadequate. (I know, I know, some writer I am, huh?) So I’ll just say that I am honored, elated, and overjoyed, and also a bit incredulous, to be on this year’s Hugo ballot.

On a completely different subject, I’ve been wondering whether I suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder), but not the traditional kind that kicks off in winter. I think springtime may put me in the doldrums. These last few days in Atlanta have been gorgeous—warm, bright, sunny—and I’ve felt irascible, logy, and generally glum. But I noticed this morning, with it’s cloudy, dark, and gray skies, that I feel much better, downright upbeat.

Guess I shouldn’t be surprised that my mental equilibrium is in tune with my physiology (which I already knew was in agreement with my aesthetics), and that I find the sun oppressive on multiple levels.

Tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

15 Responses to Thank Yous and Springtime Seasonal Affective Disorder

  1. upstart_crow says:

    I was surprised to learn a few years ago that SAD can happen in the warmer months, particularly in the summer. So this is entirely possible.

    Have you noticed a pattern? AS in, has this happened in previous years?

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Hmm. Good question. It’s hard to say, since during this time of year I’m likely to feel wrung out anyway as I’d be coming up on the end of Georgia’s legislative session, which is straight up grueling every year. Makes me want to peruse my blog archives to see if there’s a trend. ‘Cept my health was such a mess for a while in there that it’s going to be hard isolating mood swings that might be triggered by environmental factors versus my immune system trying to murder me.

      But now I definitely want to establish data points to see if there’s a statistical correlation. Whee, science!

  2. yukinooruoni says:

    I don’t think that’s SAD, but Geek 😛

    I have the same issue. Sun and shine is well and good, but I prefer overcast, dark and gloomy. I feel happier, more chipper when the sun is gone. Sure, it’s nice from time to time, but only as an occasional occurrence. Sunshine is what you do for vacation, not day-to-day living 😀

  3. whiskeychick says:

    Perhaps the climes in the Pacific Northwest would serve you better? We’re having a cloudy streak right now. I haven’t seen the sun in 6 days.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Here in Germany they have something they call Springtime Tiredness. Maybe it’s catching?

  5. ceciliatan says:

    Congrats again! *throws confetti*

    I wonder about “spring onset SAD” too. I’ve had my worst attacks of it around this time of year, but I always chalked it up to getting lazy about using my light therapy. Up here it seems bright in spring, but the sun is still at quite a severe angle. Then I had two authors just last week tell me they seemed to be sidelined with it. Then we’ve got spring allergies on top of that… The environment is just out to get us, I guess. 😉

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Thanks! *wipes confetti from eyes*

      Makes me wonder if writers might have a proclivity for spring onset SAD, after all, we’ve already exhibited a general penchant for holing up indoors, hunched over our dimly glowing monitors, day in and day out.

      “Sunlight, feh,” I sez.

  6. unquietsoul5 says:

    It could be the excessive pollen levels that have appeared with the nice weather…. another LJ acquaintance of mine said that its off the normal scale range of 0-300 and registering around 1200 in your area.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Excitement & springtime SAD

    I think you did a pretty good job describing how you feel. I’m not even sure i can describe how excited I am about your nominations. First the movie made from Sapphire’s book wins best adapted screenplay, and now this! I feel like we’re all part of the same team. I don’t even know if the word “vicarious” applies. It’s just deeply exciting.

    I don’t think I have any kind of SAD, but my worst major depressive episodes have been in April or May.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *