It’s spring fever…. You don’t quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! -Mark Twain
Mark Twain’s quote made the idiom “Spring Fever” popular. It’s a metaphor linked to the inspirations of “New Beginning” and “Fresh Start”, and seems to respond not only to the psychological, but also the physical, highs and lows of the coming spring season, which officially begins March 20, not March 21, and according to Space.com, beginning with the year 2016, officially starts on March 19 for the entire United States.
Especially after an uncommonly harsh winter, most of us are ready for the milder and sunny days of spring. For some, it’s like coming out of hibernation and feeling energized, ready to tackle the world again, and maybe falling in love. Spring is a season of hope and aspiration for many, but for others, it’s a time for physical ailments such as allergies and psychological afflictions such as depression. The corollary of “spring fever” affects each of us differently.
The syndrome known as spring fever has been studied for a long time, and the cause and effects of it are not easily identifiable or conclusive. Research indicates that, though what had at one time been thought of as purely psychological tendencies of euphoria or depression due to spring fever, the symptoms of spring fever are physiological rather than psychological.
A popular hypothesis entails that the longer days of spring, specifically of the sun, manipulate the brain, which in turn influences moods and energy levels. Medical studies maintain that early morning bright light is an acutely vital indicator for humans in keeping the body synchronized.
People who suffer intense winter blues are diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The majority of people afflicted with SAD are women, in whom the effects of spring fever are especially obvious. Sadly, there are a few people so tragically distressed by spring fever that they succumb to suicide, depression and alcoholism. In them, spring fever intensifies the sense of loneliness and hopelessness, which, according to doctors, may not be psychological but biological, in that their bodies cannot endure the physical stress of seasonal changes.
It is utterly amazing to realize, once again, the frailty of the human body as well as the human mind. Spring fever may be a coming season for rejoicing and relief from long, cold nights for most of us, but it has the potential design of a living nightmare, if not the end of life, for some of us.
Hello and thank you for reading. I have learned not to take anything for granted in life and forcefully, at times, remind myself that I am blessed even when things don’t go my way. I realized that I love to write a long time ago, because it allows me “the freedom of expression” that’s become very important to me, though I have no formal training. It’s a great bonus to appreciate that there are readers like you, who actually read what I write about. Sometimes I have so many ideas about topics I’d like to write about, that I wish there were more hours in the day. I hope that you will enjoy my articles, of which some will seem a bit quirky, because that’s me. I invite you to peruse my blog at http://spillnchill.com, and if you have something on your mind that you’d like to share, leave me a comment. I’d enjoy hearing from you:)
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