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Finding light in the dark

Audrey Carli

When the sun shone brightly, Linda felt cheerful, but on cloudy days, Linda’s spirit slumped. She noticed how she felt depressed when working in the dim basement cleaning shelves, doing laundry or other tasks. “I need light to feel happy,” she says.

The experts agree – research has shown that darkness can depress people. Depression hits many in the far north where the sun fades from sight for about two months each year. In a Norwegian town several hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, the sun dips below the horizon each year on November 20. Soon the psychiatric wards begin to fill. Physicians are asked for sleep aids and relaxants to treat insomnia and tension. The Norwegians term this time as morketid (gloomy or hard time). Depression diminishes among the residents when the sun again appears on January 20. Anxiety and insomnia victims overcome their problems. Spirits soar as the people celebrate the return of light. Children are given a school holiday and enjoy candy treats. Families have special celebrations. The experts have concluded that the depression is linked to a hormonal imbalance triggered by the constant darkness.

Sunlight can be like medicine if you suffer from winter blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Some people have painted their walls a bright yellow or other light colour. Others have decorated with light carpets and curtains. Still others keep brilliant lights burning to erase the darkness.

There is another light that must not be forgotten – a light that can work wonders to inspire and cheer spirits. Even when sunlight hours are limited during the winter, spiritual and emotional light is absorbed daily through God’s Word. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Audrey Carli is a freelance writer from Stambaugh, Mich.

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Last modified March 28, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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