Sunderland 
Celebrating Happy Season
I admit, one of the first things I do every morning, along with making coffee, is to scroll through Instagram. At the moment it is filled with positive quotes and pictures of idyllic destinations. As days lengthen and temperatures rise it's time to celebrate happy season with bbqs and friends. The back door is always open to let in the sun, we tend to spend more time outside than in and at some point we will be on a beach - even if we have to fly to one. Summer is officially here which is the reason I'm writing about this topic.
For some people the transition from spring to summer is more than a change in the seasons, it's a change in mindset where they start to experience feelings of happiness again. Individuals who suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) are perhaps most greatly affected.
But have you ever wondered what is behind the relationship between sunshine and people's personality?
Depression has been linked to the shorter hours of sunshine during the winter months. Experts around the world have been researching SAD since the beginning of the 1980's and have developed several theories about what may trigger the condition.
One of these theories is that light stimulates a part of the brain called the Hypothalamus, which is involved in the control of mood, sleep and appetite. In those who suffer from SAD, a combination of the lack of light and problems with certain chemicals in the brain prevents the Hypothalamus from working properly. Other theories link the condition with genetics, personality, family and social factors.
Whatever the cause I believe that SAD syndrome effects most people in some way. Waking up in the dark and driving home in the dark gets depressing very quickly for most people. Sunlight has an amazing effect on our mood and feeling. Today is June 2nd, although we don’t live in the warmest of climates I can already feel the joy of longer days and brighter nights, so lets make a toast and celebrate the next few month and make it a summer to remember, so that we can reminisce and make more plans for the next Summer when Winter returns.