“Don’t forget to set your clocks from sunshine and happiness back to misery and despair this weekend.”
These words appeared in meme format a few times in my newsfeed last weekend. So how’s everyone’s first week of misery and despair going? Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. Perhaps falling back an hour and returning to “standard time” isn’t quite the doom and gloom so many of us make it out to be. But there is something to be said about missing that end-of-day sunshine.
Statistics show that about 5 percent of the population — around 10 million Americans — experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), most commonly starting in late fall/early winter or coinciding with the end of daylight saving time (DST). And around 20 percent have mild symptoms of SAD, which can contribute to social withdrawal, mood shifts, sleep disruption, appetite changes, low energy, difficulty concentrating, and a slew of other not-so-fun, where’s-the-sun side effects. Yuck.
Granted, I’ve seen some positive posts, from folks who are happy to have a sunny drive to drop the kids off at school, or whose children are elated at the prospect of not walking to the bus stop in the dark, or those who are now enjoying the sunrise on their morning commute. Maybe bedtime comes a little easier or earlier, eventually. But the effects one little hour can have on our brains and bodies are kind of astounding. Was Sunday the LDOAT (longest day of all time) for anyone else? The day dragged on, and the night, well, I woke up three different times thinking sleepy time was over when it was, in fact, not. Weird. It’s a lot like jet lag, it’s all kinds of confusing, and we all have to adjust.
It’s interesting, though, how society just accepts that we move time twice a year. Can you imagine if I told my co-workers or friends that 10 o’clock was now 9 o’clock, officially, and that they had to follow that format for approximately four months? It’s dark now when you 9-to-5ers step out of work — get over it.
As for daylight saving time, here’s a summary, courtesy of the Infinite Wisdom of the Internet: The idea was first suggested, in 1784, in a satirical note to the editor of The Journal of Paris from Benjamin Franklin (to minimize candle usage). In 1895, a guy (an entomologist, if you want to get technical), George Hudson, proposed moving clocks two hours so he could have more time to study bugs in daylight (gotta commend his passion and effort). A British fella, William Willett, in 1907 said it could be an energy-saving solution (I see where he was going with that). The actual implementation of DST, however, has roots in transportation, and, as succinctly stated by CNN, “was put into practice in Europe and the United States to save fuel and power during World War I by extending daylight hours, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.” There’s a lot more to it, but you get the gist.
The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that more than 20 states currently have set forth legislation or resolutions regarding DST, with 18 states (Tennessee among them) seeking to stay on DST permanently, pending approval by Congress and the president, of course. Gah, so much power, moving time and all.
Speaking of power, I’m seeing a lot of people talking about “things I cannot control” — the time change being among them. (Well, apparently someone can control time. *Cough.*) But there are some things we can control.
Another meme I saw over the weekend read: “On Sunday, set your clock back one hour. On Tuesday, be careful that you don’t set the country back 50 years.” We’ve just passed election day. I write this before any results have come in, but I hope those of you who do wish to have some control over the few things you can got out and voted for the changes you want to see, for the people and things that will keep us moving forward for the greater good of all.
Even beyond elections, remember that you can support organizations right here in the city that pave the way for positive change in our community — whether that be through monetary contributions or volunteering your time. Use your voice, resources, and actions to make sure we are no longer, in a broader sense, falling back, but forging ahead — away from any lingering misery and despair, toward sunshine and happiness.
