For people of colour, the lack of sunlight can have an adverse effect on our mental and emotional wellbeing. This is because the pigment in our skin (known as MELANIN) needs the UV rays of the sun to function properly. If we don’t get enough sunlight we may lack energy, feel lethargic, unmotivated, moody, and be prone to sleeping a lot. This is a form of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). We get Vitamin D naturally from the sun’s rays, which helps produce seratonin and gives us the ‘feel good’ factor.
‘SAD’ mainly affects people of colour because our high melanin content requires more vitamin D, which we get from the sun. If you’re not getting enough natural sunlight you may lack energy, feel moody, find it hard to motivate yourself, and generally feel ‘under the weather’. I used to have these symptoms, but after hanging my paintings on the walls, I didn’t feel ‘SAD’ at all! 😄
We NEED the sun!
Symptoms of SAD can include:
- A persistent low mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure in normal everyday activities
- Irritability
- Feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness
- Feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day
- Going to bed much earlier than normal yet finding it hard to get up in the morning
- Comfort eating and gaining weight
The main treatments offered by the NHS are:
- Getting as much natural sunlight as possible, exercising regularly and managing your stress levels
- Light Therapy – where a special lamp called a light box is used to simulate exposure to sunlight
- Talking therapies, such cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or counselling
- Antidepressant medication such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
Colour Therapy Can Help!
Many of us are mis-diagnosed with depression and prescribed SSRIs (antidepressants), when what we really need is a good dose of sun! I intuitively healed myself from SAD using COLOUR THERAPY, which isn’t even mentioned on the NHS website!
How I Healed Myself from Seasonal Affective Disorder
In the winter of 2009 I painted some bright, colourful paintings, and after putting them up around the house, I noticed I wasn’t getting my usual symptoms of wanting to stay in bed, feeling lethargic, and generally feeling ‘under the weather’. The symptoms vanished!
You can download my Art and save them to your phone, tablet or PC and use them as screensavers to benefit from the Colour Therapy in them too!
In your service,
