KEY POINTS:
Hopefully you've been able to enjoy a few good days of summer before returning to work. There's nothing worse than beginning the year with a feeling of grievance because you haven't had a summer holiday.
And it's even worse when you start back at work and magically, the weather clears, the sun comes out and you're trapped in an office with eight hours between you and the beauty of a summer's day. Apparently, New Zealand has just had the coldest December in 60 years and I don't think the release of that statistic will surprise anyone. Nor will it come as a huge shock that good weather is good for morale. A Massey University psychologist said poor weather raises stress levels for most people - particularly, I would venture to suggest, those poor souls away camping with children.
I imagine five nights under canvas in driving wind and rain and freezing temperatures would push stress levels off the Richter scale. There's even a name for the depression associated with lack of sunshine - Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD for short. Normally, this is a winter affliction but if the weather keeps playing fast and loose on us, we may find sufferers appearing in December. If you're back at work already, don't despair. Another holiday weekend is just a few weeks away and the forecast is looking good.
