Last night I had, as a fellow Summer SADder termed it, a “heat induced mental meltdown,” which you can read here. I was starting to get very depressed because of Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder but this morning….wow! what a difference. It is like I have come back to planet earth. There was a gray sky, a cool 70 degree breeze, large clouds…..how wonderful.
I have to say I’m still not sure if the heat or light bother me more, but after this bought of 100+ degree weather I think the heat affects me a little more. However, looking at the cloud cover outside right now makes me feel so good..I can’t even convey it. It’s pure relief.
Speaking of cloud cover cooling…here is something that might help you take cooling into your own hands, literally. Someone posted something interesting in the forum about a discovery that helps increase athletic performance by cooling down the vascular system via a chilled glove type contraption. <OK so my husband just saw this–look at the picture below–and immediately said, “it’s the J.P. Prewitt hand model guy from Zoolander”–we had a good laugh about that one!
At any rate, two scientists–as chronicled in Stanford Magazine— have studied temperature regulation in mammals for decades, and discovered that by cooling our hairless skin areas–ears, nose, cheeks and soles of the feet–the quickest and maximum effect can be reached. Our vascular system is setup so that blood vessels in those areas are intense–to help affect maximum cooling.
Our forum member rigged up her own contraption using plastic convenience store cups filled with ice and experimented, only to find that lo and behold it works! I would probably try the ones with the screw on lids–or a plastic water bottle. (sorry I wrote here earlier “foam cups” and that doesn’t work at all…..!).
I don’t find this surprising since a few weeks ago I realized how amazing I felt when drinking cold ice water–it gives me a greater sense of mental clarity and instant cooling. What I didn’t realize, was that maybe part of that ‘instant cooling’ had to do with that I was holding the cold mug not by the handle but by the body (since it feels so good on my hand).
This is something worth looking into! Ice cold footbaths…here I come!
Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder 
LOL @ the J.P. Prewitt hand model remark…totally fits though. This is interesting… I used to while getting a drink from the tap, let the water run on and over my hand. It was heaven and it was as refreshing as drinking the water itself. One more confirmation that tells me, if I would only listen and pay closer attention, my body would tell me what to do. Thanks for the continued research and posts Saskia…you have truly made my summer not only bearable but actually somewhat enjoyable.
Jackie
Am remembering something I read years ago in a book on depression. A single page was devoted to Summer Sad where a therapist recommended standing in a bucket of cold water up to the knees for 10 minutes every morning. I’d much rather hold a cold glass of water …
KT in Seattle (where it’s a heavenly shade of gray …)