Classic Film, Golf and Cricket Cure SAD
November 11, 2007
Filed under Uncategorized
Tags: Cricket, golf, Lawrence of Arabia, Movies, SAD, snooker
Lawrence of Arabia
By now you know a light box is essential to fight seasonal affective disorder (SAD), but are movies a shot in the arm for those fighting the winter blues?
Movie buff rejoice! Grab the popcorn and soda, SAD sufferers watching films set in warm, sunny climates feel noticeably better, reports says CNN. The news story recommends David Lean’s 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia,” for its desert oasis, palm trees and sunny-clear skies. Think of it as a three and a half hour getaway free of frigid below zero weather.
Surprising, sports can elevate your mood or aggravate depression. Golf and cricket enhance happiness. Think twice before joining a bowling league one too many games of darts, indoor bowling or snooker, says CNN, “bring on a state of depressive, trance-like catatonia that, in severe cases, culminates in complete mental breakdown.”
I know a large number of people look at depression or SAD as a ‘im just depressed for no reason’ type of illness, but actually there have been a few doctors that I have spoken with who believe there are three parts to depression, like a triangle of sorts:
-Biological
-Psychological
-Social
Bio is easy: many people have some form of depression or hav efelt it at one time.
Psych is a little trickier: often ways or patterns of thinking can make one feel negative or lethargic, leading to self-doubt, loathing, hate, etc.
Social is often overlooked: when you have the first two, naturally you tend to withdraw within yourself, and realize things that once were the “bees knees”, as my grandpa would say, no longer have any kind of happy effect on you. This is where depression really takes hold and people turn to carbs, sleeping and/or crying excessively and all of the other connections that have been made to mild to severe episodes of depression.
I mention this because social often seems the hardest to break because it sneaks up on you so slowly that you don’t even realize you are putting off doing things and seeing people until you’ve almost completely isolated yourself. Your post about the movie watching as an aid is an excellent one, it can aid not only the biological (sun and sand) and psychological (lots of decisions being made that affect many people, action and excitment) but if you team it up with 2 or more people and make a movie night of it, you have given yourself a nice dose of 3 hour therapy!