Don’t be S.A.D, don’t be blue! Have I got a Winter Blues Banishing GIVEAWAY for YOU!

So since y’all have always been so nice to me, and we’ve been talking a lot about our issues and FEELINGS and the general losing of one’s shiz, and just…yeah…the dreariness that is Winter and the S.A.D-ness  that it brings about. Oh wait! Stop. Do you know what S.A.D is? It stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder and if you live somewhere like Ohio, you probably know someone who has it.    
Anyway, in celebration of saying goodbye and GOOD RIDDANCE to January (one month of winter down!-Woot),  I thought I would ask my friends at Nature bright if they’d hook one of you lovely people up with your very own S.A.D  Happy lamp again.
And they said, “for you, our esteemed Kirsty Sayer of the brilliant Momedy Blog-ANYTHING”. Or they may have said, “yeah ok, sure.”
‘Cos they are cool like that. It’s all the happy light they are soaking up. I’m sure of it.
As you may remember, that thing changed my life. I used it religiously for a few Winters but for some reason this year, inexplicably, I forgot all about it. Actually last year too. I blame the baby. (For a lot, until she’s old enough to object). And not so surprisingly since forgetting about it,  I have struggled with the S.A.D-ness ever since.
No more! After all the angst of late I suddenly realized…D’oh!  I pulled my magical box out of my closet and am basking in the glow as we speak/write/read and despite the fact that I am incapacitated at this moment and in considerable pain (due to doing something reallllly stupid).  I’m feeling perkier by the minute.  And my friends, it is UGLY grey outside. Just not pretty. Even so, I’m feeling happier every second. I find it miraculous. Miraculous I tell you.

It’s Summer on my couch today…all blissed out- messed up back not withstanding..
As I have said in the past. Winter (with its accompanying grey darkness) tends to make me inclined to become a bear. As in literally. As in a bear going into hibernation. I start eating carbs like it’s my job-and so I begin to resemble a bear. I become as still as is humanly possible-like a bear does during hibernation. I actually feel paralyzed. I become anti-social (even more so than usual) and irritable (even more so than usual) not unlike a bear disturbed from hibernation.   Ah how my family and friends love it.   It’s just a special, special time for all of us.
A few years ago after hearing about them for ages, I finally broke down and got myself one of these marvelous things and people, my sweet, kind, good people I am not kidding you when I tell you it changed my life. Best $120 I ever spent.  No lie. Behold the (cue: heavenly choirs)
NatureBright Sun Touch Plus light and Ion therapy

After this came into my life, I no longer started getting all melancholy in the Autumn because of what would surely follow…I lost a ton of weight (in the Winter!) my activity and energy levels became equivalent to what they were in the Summer (I am solar powered) . The beast, she was silenced. And the townspeople rejoiced. It was (have I mentioned?) magical and marvelous. And that is when I became evangelical in my zeal for this product and here we are.
I have referred to myself as the modern Florence Nightingale as I have been known to make house calls with this lamp to friends in similar distress (until they realized the magic for themselves and hustled to get their own lamp) and now I shall knight myself Flo of the Internet. Not quite the same ring but it works.
Let me just say, I am not getting paid or compensated in any way for this glowing (haha get it?) endorsement. Consider it a PSA.  Consider it my gift to you by way of the generous folks at NatureBright (who really should be hiring me as their official PR spokesperson and sending me flowers for my birthday-February 6th if they are reading- for the vast amount of business/hype I have given them over the years and if you knew how much I hate selling stuff, you’ll know it’s that good. )
Here are some answers to FAQ’s I’ve had over the years. Or you can just check out the naturebright website.
But yeah, really and truly it’s that good. Since I like you guys and I like feeling good and assumed you do too,  it seemed like a good fit during this, the most depressing time of year.

Let’s do this thing.
If you’re feeling S.A.D or you know someone who is inclined to, please enter to win. I’ll make it easy since I know from painful personal experience that motivation/thought processing during this time is minimal. Ok all you have to do is:
1.Like me on this here blog---> look in the side bar
AND/OR
2.”Like” me on Facebook
AND/OR
3. Subscribe to my RSS Feed
AND/OR
4. Cut ‘n paste following blurb, (or one like unto it) on facebook
Just entered to beat the winter blues by winning a S.A.D Light Therapy lamp from Kirsty at  Momedy!  (momedy.blogspot.com)
AND/OR
5. Put cut and paste the following blurb on Twitter (or  your own like unto it)
Just entered to beat the winter blues by winning a S.A.D Light Therapy box  from @momedykirsty      (momedy.blogspot.com)
So! I have given you FIVE (5!!)  different ways to enlighten yourselves (the puns, they just keep coming, it’s bigger than me people…just go with it).  
You may do just one of these things to gain an entry or you may do all 5! It really depends on how much you want to win this thing.
JUST BE SURE (for the love of light!!!) TO POST A SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW THIS POST FOR EACH ENTRY.
Ok so get on that without delay, or supervise your miserable, whiny, unmotivated carb inhaling friends/family members as they do so. I will be picking a winner on February 6th.  (Did you know that was my birthday? I like chocolate. And diamonds. And pretty much everything at T.J Maxx. Just sayin’)
xo
linking to we are that family's WFMW, because this most certainly works for me.

WFMW: Warding off the Winter Blues

(This was originally posted in 2008 and then again in 2009 when I actually gave a magical SAD lamp to a lucky and deserving recipient. It's that special time of year again, and I feel it is my responsibility to post it at least once each Winter as a PSA of sorts ;)

I have spoken with evangelical zeal of my love and gratitude for my SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) light many times before but since it is that time of year and I seem to be getting questions and emails very frequently asking for more details, I thought I would make it an official WFMW so that I can just refer people to it on an as needed basis.

Every Fall my energy and motivation begins to wane. I want to be very still, I want to sleep all the time, I do not want to exercise. I want to eat lots of carbs, I want to be mean to people, I want them to stay away from me, in short I want to be a bear. Since hibernation tends to be frowned upon for mothers in our culture I have had to find a better way.

For several years I read about and heard about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and light therapy (from Dr.'s and therapists with real, you know, Doctor-y degrees). It was clear to me that I suffered from this condition and the idea that the right spectrum of light could cure it made a lot of sense to me.

So last Winter, I finally broke down and bought this beautiful thing.

I can't think of $120 better spent. I used to actively dread Winter. I loved Fall but my enjoyment of it was tempered by a sense of panic of what was to follow. Yes, panic. I sensed that life as I knew it then was about to end, or at least go on hiatus for a long while, and there was a very real possibility that I may lose many friendships and the ability to fit into my jeans during that dark period. I live in a very dark part of the world (we outdo even Seattle for lack of sunshine) and being a sunny South African native, this wreaks havoc with me.

And then came last Winter. The Winter I bought The Box. Last Winter was wonderful. As wonderful as Winter in this hole can be. (Although in Spring it ceases to be a hole and I extol the virtues of my delightful town up until the following Winter, but in Winter it is nothing but a hole.)

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, so with the help of The Box my life went on. My energy level was similar to what it is in the summer (sometimes it was increased, the literature that comes with the lamp does warn that excessive use can actually cause mania, so if you are prone to manic episodes you should not exceed recommended dosages-unless you have a lot to do, then have at it. Oh relax, I am no light-pusher I know you will consume your light responsibly).

In addition to having energy, my mood and sense of well-being was good, I did not struggle with depression, I did not feel the perpetual need to hunker down next to a heating vent with a bagel, was not tempted to leave an outgoing message on my voice-mail saying something along the lines of "please stop calling because regardless of who you are, and why you are calling, I do not like you, nor am I interested". I was motivated to exercise, I even occasionally folded my laundry (and put it away!) life just went on.

Around March when even non-SAD people started to lose their tolerance for Winter, I noticed that for the most part, I was fairly ambivalent regarding it. Summer would be nice, I definitely looked forward to it, but I didn't desperately need and crave it the way I had before. I was busy living life and you know, when Mother Nature (the irrational hag) was ready, I was ready.

Like a modern day Florence Nightingale, I would make house calls with my lamp to a friend who suffers from SAD fairly regularly. He would bask blissfully in its glow for a half an hour or so and all would be right in his world again. He found the "high" would get him through several days before he needed his next "hit". This year he got one for his birthday.

As for me, I don't take any chances, I sit in front of mine most mornings as I read my scriptures, eat my breakfast, check my email..and all that other morning sitting type stuff.

And now, to make this post look all official, let me answer some:

FAQ:

Does it have to be installed somewhere?
No it's a little box lamp that you can plug in and sit next to you anywhere. I cuddle up to mine on the couch.
Is it big or small?
They vary in size but they are all very portable.
Do you have to stare right at it to get the benefits?
No, it should shine into your eyes but you don't have to stare directly at it. Like I say, I read etc while it is on.
Is there anything I should look for or avoid in a lamp?
I'm not an expert but my research says that you should not buy a lamp that has less then 10,000 LUX. I am not sure what this means, but I do as I am told. No, a "full-spectrum" lamp such as those sold for crafters etc will not have the same effect. You need to get one specifically made to treat SAD with 10,000 LUX or more.
Won't it cause cancer or be bad for my skin/eyes?
No. This is not the same sort of "tanning" light that you find in tanning beds and booths. It is safe for your eyes and this spectrum of light is not carcinogenic, nor will it give you a tan.
Where did you get it and what type do you have?
I got it at Amazon. com. Click on the "this beautiful thing" link above, or do a search for "SAD light" on Amazon.

My lamp has ion therapy. This is also supposed to elevate mood and be healthy. I don't know about that. It seems to kick in only after the lamp has been on for a while, (maybe mine is faulty) and it does have a distinctive smell. Lots of people in the reviews complain about that, I happen to really like it and I wish it did it all the time. However that option can be turned on and off and I'm not sure how effective it is anyway.

I hope this helps those who get SAD in the Winter. Try it, you'll light it. I am now off to punish myself for that pun.