The signs of Spring are in the air! The length of daylight time is increasing, outside temperatures are rising, and warm rains are helping flowering plants to bloom. Naturally, and true to its name, these telltale signs of Spring are causing new plant growth to "spring forth." For most areas, the winter snow is finally melting, leaving rivers and streams to swell with runoff. And, yes, the annual Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, is another sure sign that Spring has finally arrived.

Spring is also seen as a time of new life (both plant and animal) being born, as well as a time of growth and renewal. More generally, the “Spring” season is perceived as a metaphor for the start of better times. Severe weather notwithstanding, including the official beginning of the hurricane season, dangerous flooding, thunderstorms, and tornadoes, the springtime offers hope and new possibilities after a winter season that often leaves people feeling depressed and out of sorts.

I don’t know about you, but this past winter seems to have left its mark on many people who are still trying to come out of its abyss. I can’t tell you how many people—family members, friends, clients, and even acquaintances—told me that they were suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or “seasonal mood disorder”!

The symptoms of SAD can be severe, although they usually clear up. To be sure, there are people who experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. Among other things, these people may sleep too much, have little energy, crave sweets and starchy foods, and importantly, feel depressed. These symptoms, moreover, can (and frequently do) also take their toll on those around the person afflicted with SAD and, therefore, can play havoc on the person’s personal life and work life. It is also not uncommon to see people suffering from SAD to perceive their life as unhappy and devoid of meaning, oftentimes not even recognizing that their predicament is situational rather than permanent.

To other SAD sufferers, relief is just around the corner and their start of “better times” will be guaranteed by the coming of Spring. Spring to these folks is a time of rebirth, growth, renewal, and true happiness. Having experienced the “dark” side of winter, they are now committed to, fixated on, and/or obsessed with proving that happiness comes with Spring! But beware, there is a significant difference, albeit sometimes only a fine line, between “causality” (that is, X causes Y) and “correlation” (that is, X is related to or associated with Y). In other words, the Spring season may be correlated to one’s perception of “happiness,” but that is not to say, nor should it be inferred, that Spring causes “happiness” to occur. In point of fact, a person’s fixation on the pursuit of happiness may actually backfire! The world-renown psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, referred to this phenomenon as “paradoxical intention.” And while it may appear to be counter-intuitive, Dr. Frankl observed the following about the human quest for happiness and success:

“Don’t aim at success--the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.” (Emphasis added)

So while the signs of Spring may be in the air, don’t be fooled into thinking that your happiness is too. The new season offers us all new opportunities to “let happiness happen” by not caring about it. Indeed, even for SAD sufferers and those who think that SAD was the “cause” of their winter depression or mood swing, this can be the start of better times if they let happiness ensue rather than try to pursue it.

© 2008 Alex Pattakos, Ph.D.