{"id":7484,"date":"2023-04-05T09:48:09","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T13:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=7484"},"modified":"2025-08-24T14:31:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T18:31:22","slug":"the-spring-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2023\/04\/05\/the-spring-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spring Effect<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

     Here in the Berwicks of Maine (which consist of North, South and Central Berwick), spring is finally here. People come out of their homes to feel the sun on their skin and clean up their overgrown yards. There are people running on the sidewalks and kids playing in the neighborhood\u2019s parks again. It\u2019s peaceful and a true breath of fresh air after the long winter and continuous storms of not too long ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

     \u201cI really feel at peace here,\u201d Margret Wakefield of South Berwick said as she sat on the patio of her home in the sun. \u201cAt the beginning of spring, I always come out here and when I don\u2019t feel like it my husband will even push me out into the sun. He knows how I need it.\u201d Margret Wakefield has experienced seasonal depression her whole life. At nearly 80 years old now, she still finds her happiness in the sun and good weather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWe\u2019ve been together… oh I don\u2019t know, forever, and in the sun is where she shines most. Even our kids and grandbabies–the girls mostly–have it, too.\u201d John Wakefield talked about seasonal depression and the impact it has on his family even now. \u201cPeople think you get old and all your problems go away. But no, you just know how to live with them peacefully. She\u2019s so good about that and teaches the kids, too. I\u2019m so proud of her for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Seasonal depression is a common problem in Maine as it is one of those states that lacks sunlight during the winter season. This affects young and old and everyone in between. \u201cThe second the sun is out, she\u2019s up and by the window or calling to get the kiddos to go outside, you know. It\u2019s her way of caring.\u201d John Wakefield explained his wife\u2019s way of dealing with it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cPeople think, \u2018Oh, just go outside. You\u2019ll be fine.\u2019 But it\u2019s not that simple, is it, in the winter? People don\u2019t understand the toll it can take. My Mumma ended her life in 1980 because of it. It weighs heavy on this family, but we\u2019re fighters now,\u201d Margret Wakefield said with a determined expression and a grandchild on her lap as they soaked in the sunshine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Spring is a time of happiness and relief for many who struggled in the winter. To see people on the streets again and in the parks brings her joy now. \u201cMy oldest, Teresa, is on medication for it now in the wintertime. If I could, I would be, too. But my heart can\u2019t take it they say. She says it makes all the difference. She doesn\u2019t find herself in that low state that she can\u2019t take care of her kids anymore. That\u2019s what it used to do to me. I felt terrible I couldn\u2019t be there for my own kids. But there wasn\u2019t a way out of it then. I\u2019m so happy she has help now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     With the advancements in medicine, Teresa is no longer trapped because of this disorder. While it\u2019s something that affects 9 percent of the population in Maine, many people aren\u2019t being helped with it. \u201cI want nothing more than for everyone to be the best they can be. Thankfully, with some help, that can be true if people knew it was available. I only wish I had had that help when I was young, too. I might\u2019ve done more right,\u201d Margret Wakefield said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

     Here in the Berwicks of Maine (which consist of North, South and Central Berwick), spring is finally here. People come out of their homes to feel the sun on their skin and clean up their overgrown yards. There are people running on the sidewalks and kids playing in the neighborhood\u2019s parks again. It\u2019s peaceful and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7484"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8080,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7484\/revisions\/8080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}