Embracing dark skies
“Exploring the universe can be life-affirming as it stops people from sweating the small stuff.”
When summer’s a distant memory, and autumn begins to fade away, many people see winter as a season that represents a sense of lack – the absence of light and heat. When you think about it, it’s a maelstrom of negativity from the get-go, so perhaps all of us can benefit from reframing winter from a time of ‘less’ to a time of abundance.
According to BUPA, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects up to three in 100 adults at some point in their life. When it comes to tackling SAD, the impetus for experts will focus on light. Psychologist Dr Audrey Tang explains that: “Less sunlight means less serotonin, which impacts the regulation of our bodily functions; more melatonin (produced at night) may make us sleepy.
