Summer’s end?
The English like to talk about the weather. This summer it has been difficult not to comment, with the floods in some areas and a general depressing grey-ness and unseasonal cold. Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a popular concept, easily dismissed as nonsense, but I’m increasingly aware how much the sunshine or lack of it affects my mood. SAD does have a scientific rationale: apparently bright light decreases production of melatonin which is a sleep hormone and increases production of serotonin which is a neurotransmitter, making some tasks easier.
Technology can help, for example through ‘daylight’ lamps which we’ve bought. We’ve also found it’s worth investing in daylight spectrum fluorescent tubes if you have to work totally under artificial lighting; better still, negotiate for natural light by the window when possible. I’m fortunate in having a home office with a wide picture window overlooking the garden and a large ash tree.
What I can look forward to, rather than the uncertainty of a warm ‘Indian summer’ September, is a business visit to central Africa in the English autumn. My first contract is to design and deliver a management development programme for an international relief and development agency. Having spent ten years in East Africa, I find visits to the continent enlivening despite the poverty and huge daily challenges that Africans often face. It’s more the warmth of the people – although the warmth and light of the sun helps.
