help me understand SAD!

Hey there, Miss.
You're obviously a supportive partner, which is a huge help to your husband already. I would be lost without my husband. He is my calm, strong and unflappable anchor.
I suffer from regular depression year round, but get kicked again in winter by SAD. I'm happy to share my symptoms with you. As soon as the days start getting shorter, I begin getting more and more tired, anxious and sad. The worst symptom for me is social withdrawal. I'm usually a people person but when SAD hits, I become a turtle. My husband actually calls me tartaruga, which is turtle in Italian. I don't want to go out, I don't want to see or talk to people, and I avoid the phone like the plague. People have my outgoing message memorized because they always get my machine instead of me. I have trouble making eye contact, my voice gets softer, and I lose almost all of my confidence. I feel like a failure. A very sad, tired, anxious failure. It's awful. If I had my way, I would stay in my flannel pajamas all day and stay in bed reading and eating. Most days I have to make myself put one foot in front of the other. I make myself interact with my kids because I love them fiercely, and don't want them to have a turtle for a mother. Thank goodness they are teenagers and are fairly independent and anti-parent. I don't know what I would do if I had little ones. Probably cry even more than I do. My symptoms tend to lessen at night. Once it's dark, I come out of my shell a little and try to do as much as I can with and for my family before I have to go to bed. I cherish those few hours a day where I actually feel human again. Unfortunately, I can't stay up all night. When I wake up in the morning, it starts all over again. It's exhausting. Truly. It's very hard to watch the rest of the world be happy and healthy and go about their days without a second thought. I envy that, sooooooo much...I hope this helps you understand what your husband is going through. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Talking about it helps--a lot. It's a very isolating illness.
Take Care,
Koko