How to Use Light to Elevate Your Mood

You know those mood indicators on FaceBook and MySpace? The ones that show a happy or sad face? If it weren't' for some regular sunlight exposure, my mood would probably be anything but happy.

I don't remember ever missing the light in my early childhood years like I do now. In my tenth grade High School year, when a slow moving Florida hurricane plunged my week into darkness, not only did the storm bring wind and rain, but the serious lack of sunshine brought a distinct lack of cheer. I felt depressed, tired. Not at all motivated. What had changed? In all the years since, I've discovered an event that would repeatedly play out in my life... one that can instantly shift my mood from up to down. That event? Lack of light.

Lack of Light

I started down the road of self troubleshooting this mood swing of mine, many years ago. I can remember an ancient 20/20 coming on that seemed to describe my occasional condition. I have no idea what they called the diagnosis then, but I can recall the show's host interviewing two different people on their "lack of light" disorder. (Of course, I just realized that makes for a laughable acronym... LOL anyone?) As I watched the show, I sat amazed as I listened to the two people describe the same kind of mood swings that I was feeling. And it was connected to light, or rather, the lack thereof.

With my attention fully engaged, I marveled at the simple "fix" for such a down mood. Light boxes. In the show, they explained that the particular light box used by each individual was not just a box filled with ordinary incandescent bulbs. No, these were special lights that mimicked the sun's full spectrum of rays. All the sufferer had to do was to spend time doing their normal activities (cooking, reading, exercising, etc.) with one of these very bright light boxes nearby.

Can light make you feel better?

I began to wonder. Could I benefit from this light treatment? Especially on those dark and dreary days?

The answer has been a resounding, yes!

In the years since watching that 20/20 episode, there have been plenty of overcast days that have come along. And if the sun doesn't poke its head out of the clouds for several days consecutively, I almost always feel my mood swinging down. When the outside light begins to fade, I go for the next best thing: turn on some inside light! My experimentation with this bright light therapy has brought some improvement. I do see a change in my mood using incandescent bulbs or florescent lights, but my best mood enhancing light: a trusty halogen lamp that I use out in the garage. It doesn't seem to matter what mood I'm in, if I fire up that 500 watt halogen, something just instantly perks up inside me. Maybe my brain is a little "low on light" or it's the serotonin levels that pick up, or maybe I can just see things clearer (Of course, I do have to be careful... seeing that the garage needs cleaning can sometimes negate those good feelings!)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

I've read that some refer to this change in mood as seasonal affective disorder (with the oh-so encouraging acronym of SAD). I guess it could be called that. When it comes to distinctive seasons, other than flipping the calendar to a different month, we Floridians don't get to see much apparent change. I can have my mood affected simply by three days of rain whether it is in winter, spring, summer or fall. I've even been affected while buried in a windowless data center for long hours without ever seeing the sun or sky.

If you're one of those who gets to enjoy the "fun" of Daylight Savings Time (DST) messing with your internal clock, the use of bright light therapy may help too. I've found that using bright lights on the darker mornings can kind of "zap" me back into the rhythm of things, and help get a sluggish morning moving again. (maybe think of it as Sunlight Caffeine!)

Other Things To Try

If you think you might be "light deprived", start keeping track of when that blue frame of mind hits. Does your mood take a tumble during a weather change? Does that new job keep you away from a window, or below ground away from natural light? Are you away from sunshine for long periods of time? If your day keeps you inside a closed up building, perhaps taking a sunshine break during lunch will help. Or, maybe try putting a small halogen lamp on your desk? Adopting those kinds of changes have helped me in big ways.

FaceBook and MySpace may not have a "Seasonal Affective Disorder" indicator, but as long as I have my trusty halogen lamp nearby, I'll never even need to change that status. Sound like a "bright" idea to you? :)

"Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun." --Ecclesiastes 11:7 NIV