A couple weeks ago, I had a brief conversation with a friend of mine at work, Danae. We were leaving work around 6pm and it was already dark outside — and bitter cold. We groaned about the long, dark winter ahead. In Virginia, once it’s daylight savings and the cold weather sets in, you’re buckling down for about 5 months of no sunshine and brutal cold. Some of you are laughing at me because maybe you live in the NorthEast US, where it is much colder. But, the mountains of SouthWest Virginia bring winds and temperatures in the teens to twenties through much of the winter. I realize it could be worse, but let’s be clear — this is no tropical paradise.
Anywhoo! Danae and I joked about Seasonal Affective Disorder (aptly shortened to SAD). While I do not want to minimize the crushing effect that this disorder has on many people, I have a theory that it is not as much a disorder as it is an effect of the environment that these people are in. I believe that sunshine is essential to our health and mental well-being. From doing a bit of research, I discovered that Vitamin D from sunlight stimulates the body’s production of serotonin. The chemical serotonin is closely linked with feelings of well-being, it’s a “feel good” chemical that the body produces as a reward mechanism to encourage good behavior such as love. Many anti-depressants also produce additional serotonin in the body. Sunlight essentially has anti-depressant property.
Another important chemical in this story is melatonin. Melatonin is the chemical in your body that regulates your sleep cycles. It also has been linked to feelings of depression. Melatonin production in your body increases when you are exposed to darkness. That’s why many people tend to sleep more during the winter.
Between the lack of serotonin production due to limited exposure to sunlight, and the increased levels of melatonin, it’s easy to see why many people tend to become depressed during the winter months. I personally do not see much, if any, sun during the winter. I arrive at work before the sun comes up, there is little sunlight in my work area, and I leave work after the sun has gone down. This is just not healthy!
I decided to take matters into my own hands. How can I get some sunshine during the winter months? That’s when I decided to start the Crutchfield Hacky Sack Club. For those who don’t know, a hacky sack is a little woven bean bag (also called “footbag”) about the size of a plum. A group of people get together and stand in a circle and — using movements that are very similar to juggling a soccer ball — keep the hacky sack in the air without using their hands. It takes a little while to get the hang of it, but once you’ve got some basic movements down it’s a really fun way to pass the time and get some sunshine!
Hacky sack is also a great way to meet people and make friends. In the same way that smokers might use borrowing a lighter as an excuse to talk to someone they don’t know, a stranger entering into a hacky sack group is perfectly acceptable and appreciated. It’s also pretty mindless and stress-free, so it’s really a perfect activity for lunchtime during a busy workday.
After this idea came to me, I quickly chatted with Human Resources, who gave me the green light. I designed and printed out flyers and put them up all over the building. Now, once a week during lunchtime, we meet in the grass behind our building and get an hour of fun, sunshine, and exercise! Battle Seasonal Affective Disorder, start your own Hacky Sack club!
