Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Story of My Journey to Healing
(This post discusses depression, suicidal thoughts, and mental health hospitalization. Please read with care and take breaks as needed. If this content feels overwhelming, you are not alone, and support is available.) Sixteen years ago, I accidentally discovered the name of a mental illness I had been living with for years: Seasonal Affective Disorder , also known as SAD . Labor Day in the United States falls on the first Monday of September. Living in Georgia, in the southeastern part of the country, I noticed that the weather would begin to cool shortly after Labor Day. Long before I knew anything about SAD, my mood followed a familiar pattern year after year. After Labor Day, I would start feeling down for no clear reason. The sadness lingered through fall and winter—about six months—and then lifted naturally when spring arrived. One November, while struggling with persistent sadness and depression, I finally asked myself: Why do I always feel this way after Labor Day? Could it be r...
