Let's make sunshine.

That's right, it wasn't a typo, I said "Let's make sunshine." Not the stuff made with the moon.

As much as I love Davis, one of my worst memories is the first year I arrived here. Although I was from the Midwest where I was used to snow storms, etc., nothing could match the 22 days of fog we had that year. I don't believe I had ever gone 22 days without seeing the sun before. My mood was bleak, and since that time, seasonal affective disorder has been recognized as an actual condition that people may suffer from lack of sunlight.

I haven't seen that long a stretch of time without sun, in the ensuing years, but yearly, here in our gorgeous climate, we face winter periods of fog and rain. In order to avoid various types of depression during a Davis winter, I am suggesting some ways we can make our own sunshine. First, if you actually believe you have the syndrome, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), see your physician.

There are medical ways to cope with it. SAD occurs each year through the winter. You'll hear a lot about sitting under light bulbs. The actuality is it is a certain bulb wattage and number of lumens that you need in order to treat SAD. There are ways, however, that we control and that allow us to make sunshine. One of the things that generally happens here in the valley is as the weather gets worse, we slow down. It is not much fun to jog or walk or even get out and go to the gym when it's nasty out.

So, our stress increases in the same time the activity used to relieve stress decreases. Since the basic rule for depression is move those muscles, I am suggesting you develop a routine that you can do in your own home, in order to feel better.

Another suggestion is going to seem like the polar opposite of the above. There are some days that just are too bad to do anything; the last few weeks of rain; wind, etc., are a good example.

At some point give in, find your favorite book, your favorite chair and your favorite hot beverage and curl up under a cozy down throw. It feels good, it's fun, and you will not be as aware of the weather. Our office manager watches a couple of seasons of "24" or "The Shield."

It is important to make sure that you do things that you enjoy. You may want, on those cloudy days, to visit with your best friend, remember that shopping malls are enclosed, play with your grandchildren, surf the Web, or play a board game.

Each person has some activity that absorbs them, that they enjoy, and that takes their mind off of all things that are around them. You need to identify what does this for you and be doubly sure to practice it during the gray days of Davis' winter.

The basic rule is be good to yourself; eat well, exercise and do a few of your favorite things. There is a saying that, "If someone hands you lemons, you make lemonade." I'm suggesting if somebody hands you fog and rain, make your own sunshine. If you need help to do that, please call us at 752-2727 for an appointment or e-mail me at shharvey@ucdavis.edu

Sally Harvey is the director of the Academic and Staff Assistance Program. For more information, visit www.hr.ucdavis.edu/ASAP.