SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder: More Than Just the Winter Blues.

The first week of November is around the corner; that means the clock will FALL back and night will FALL sooner. With darker starts and ends to our active days I thought it would be pretty important to talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. I’ve been feeling a little angst recently and I think that is because I am super sensitive to the season, temperature, and daylight change, along with the fact that, the holiday season is upon us. Because I now anticipate that the emotions surrounding the passing of my grandparents may come to the surface around the holiday time, I’ve been intentional about finding ways in which I can tend to my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health during this time of year.

So, what is SAD? Like the name suggests, it is depression that is onset by the season change; beginning in the Fall, intensifying in the Winter, and hopefully evacuating your body, mind, and spirit in the Spring time. The lukewarm version of SAD is sometimes referred to as the Winter Blues; you know, when you don’t feel like getting out of bed, you’re a bit sluggish throughout the day, not as much joy is felt, and you may find yourself a tad bit more temperamental. Yeah, sometimes the season changing is the reason. So, instead of the reason for the season, I like to say, the season is the reason.

In saying all of that, I don’t want to minimize anyone’s health or wellness, by chalking the mood and motivation change, up to the season alone. So, if you’re feeling really out of sorts in a way that my few suggestions don’t help remedy, please lean on real human support, and if you’re able, a professional who deals with depression or intense emotional changes.

SAD is most common in:

· Women (especially because we experience a lot of hormonal changes throughout our lifespan)

· People who live in places where it’s cloudy/dreary (can cause Vitamin D deficiency)

· People already dealing with depression, anxiety, or other mood/mental disruptions.

Self-regulation is important always, but especially during the season change. If we all take the time to pay attention to how we’re feeling and moving throughout the day, we’ll be better in-tune with our bodies, and can begin our supportive measures to make it through the season/s as intact as possible.

What are the top indicators that you may be experiencing SAD?

· Sleeping more or less.

· Irritability/Outbursts

· No desire to partake in your usual activities/hobbies.

· Not wanting to be around or spend time with people.

· Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or despair.

· Excessive eating

· Excessive weight gain/loss

· Lack of energy/motivation

· Anxiety

What are some proactive or treatment options for SAD?

· Vitamin D. Because the lack of sunshine is one of the leading causes of seasonal depression, taking a vitamin D supplement may help to vastly improve symptoms.

· Outdoor activity.Similar to the Vitamin D, for the sunshine we lose, taking time to immerse ourselves in the little bit of light we get and feeling the “fresh” air(especially for people who live in places that don’t experience sunny days in the fall/winter) can help to sustain us through this period.

· Open your windows. Let as much daylight into your space as possible, whether you’re at home or spend your time in an office space. If you have windows, let the light through.

· Phototherapy. This is one of my favorite hacks! Light therapy! Bringing more light into your space. Amazon sells a lot of sun lamps. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so it’s easy to find one that’s perfect for your space. This is a great natural light replacement for the fall/winter months. Using the light for 20-30 minutes a day has been shown to make worlds of difference.

· Talk-Therapy.Being able to verbalize our feelings out loud, with another person who can, in return, provide tools to help us navigate this season is probably the best “medicine”.

· Exercise. Movement! Some people don’t enjoy “exercising”, so I encourage movement of some sort. Dancing, biking, skating, yoga, etc. Getting your body moving helps to release all of the feel-good hormones.

· Spend time with (healthy) family/friends. SAD is known for causing people to withdraw. Be intentional about making time to share with others. This does not have to be high-energy social gatherings, as long as you’re connecting with people throughout the fall/winter months (outside of seeing people at work), this should have a great impact on your mood.

· Eat a well-balanced diet. Mineral and Vitamin heavy meals are good for your overall health. Eating foods that don’t bring on fatigue or make us feel heavy, are huge combaters for the onset of SAD. That means steering clear of sugary and starchy foods. Paying attention to how we feel after eating certain foods in the summer, will provide us with the information we need to fuel up for the Fall and Winter.

If we prioritize taking care of ourselves throughout the year, we won’t even have to become super militant when Fall and Winter roll around. Getting enough sleep, exercising (moving) regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, and talking out-loud about our feelings can all become a part of our lifestyle and not just a practice we use in the fall and winter months, to combat SAD.

If we’re not doing these things already, there’s no better time than now, to begin implementing each step into our daily-care routine. Check out some of the resources to help jumpstart our sun-lack seasons.

With the right information and proper-practices, we can all get through each season! Share the knowledge. Help a friend, to help a friend, to help a friend! We got this!