Summer's Here & The Time Is Right For Getting Agitated & Depressed

We’ve all heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder, which some call the Winter Blues. But have you ever heard of Summer SAD? It’s a real thing. It exists.

In the winter, people with SAD sleep more, gain weight, crave high-carb foods and long to hibernate. According to MSNBC’s The Body Odd, “those with summer SAD sleep less, eat less, and lose weight. They’re extremely irritable and agitated.” Maybe because it’s fucking hot? Oh, it’s also all that damn sunshine. One summer SAD patient told a doctor it was “feeling like the light is cutting though me like a knife.”

I don’t think I have summer SAD, but I do often talk about something I call the Tyranny Of Sunshine™, which happens when the weather starts to get nice. That’s when you feel like you’re supposed to be out rollerskating with a popsicle or playing frisbee or lifeguarding or playing beach volleyball or driving in Jeep or something SUPER FUN because the sun is shining and if you don’t act like you’re in a Sunkist commercial your life is meaningless. And when you do go out, the sun starts pressing on your brain, commanding you to enjoy its blistering heat and blinding brightness. Tyranny!

Which is not to say I have summer SAD. Apparently it affects less than 1 percent of the population. And I certainly wouldn’t fare very well in a gray and rainy environment. But we’ve all seen Do The Right Thing! Summer can make people crazy.