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Site=C0&Date=20060124&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=601240322&Ref=AR&Pr ofile=1005&MaxW=300 MARY IUVONE / DAILY RECORD Mary Koeberl of Morris Township reads at the Library of Morristown and Morris Township on Monday. How to beat the winter blahs * Author Katherine Hall suggests trying new foods, adding color to your home and wardrobe, and "spending some time alone to recharge these draining times." Individuals who have debilitating symptoms or suicidal tendencies must seek immediate medical attention.
The SAD season Advertisement Doctor: It's the most depressing day of the year Psychologist says weather, debt, guilt converge on Jan. The days still are short and tend to be cold, wet and gray. Welcome to mid-January, when most people start to feel cabin fever. One psychologist, Cliff Arnall at Cardiff University in Wales, even says "Jan. But while most people surveyed around Morris County on Monday acknowledged feeling winter blahs, they also said they know how to combat it. For Lorri Katz, 47, a Harding nutritionist, "there is a letdown after the holidays, and we wait in anticipation of spring. I go to the movies, read and try to maintain social contacts." Waiter Michael Burlingame, 40, of Morristown, said he likes to "keep busy and spend quality time with friends." John Bertram of Hopatcong, a 51-year-old Seeing Eye instructor, loves working with the students and dogs. Mary Koeberl, 59, of Morris Township seeks solace in her job, too. She is a special-education teacher who doesn't find January depressing. Dan Schmalz, 64, a retired clergyman from Oak Ridge, sat engrossed in a newspaper at the library in Morristown and was optimistic. Reading inspires me to explore new worlds, but I read The New York Times to atone for my sins," Schmalz said. Experts have solid theories and advice, but they might not always practice what they preach. Several factors To Hall, first, the weather is usually dismal now and light levels remain low. Second, Hall said, people now have to grapple with debt from overspending through the holidays. They're also saddled with sticker shock at the month's heating bills and gas prices. Third, New Year's resolutions, those best laid plans, now become a memory. So it's back to overeating, chain-smoking and cussing a blue streak this week, Hall says in her book, "A Life in Balance." All of that shouldn't be confused with actual, clinical depression. John Williford, psychology professor at County College of Morris, points out that depression is not confined to one day or one week; He recognizes seasonal affective disorder as a real psychological condition, and he says it can be a bit more intense in January, but "sunshine helps," Williford said. Bryan Fennelly, a psychiatrist in Madison, rejects the choice of mid-January as the most depressing time. He would vote for late October because of the abrupt adjustment that people must make to Eastern Standard Time. But even for others, he added, "there is a biological tendency to hibernate. Fennelly believes that those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder "are actually coming out of it by this point in January because the days are beginning to get longer." One can hope that Arnall, the Welsh psychologist and mathematician who calculated the date, was wrong.
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