As the colder months creep in, you may find yourself dealing with some familiar emotions. Feeling down during a particularly dreary day can be completely normal, but when your low energy and depression are a constant problem, you may be dealing with something more serious. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has become a recognized health issue in the last few years, but how can you tell if that’s what’s getting you down? Here are some basics you need to know about SAD and how to start feeling like yourself again.
Add More Self-Care in Fall and Winter
The effects of seasonal affective disorder can leave you with less motivation and energy. To get some of your happiness back, however, you may have to make more of an effort to fit self-care into your life. Self-care is not a luxury; rather, it’s a necessary preventative measure you need to take to protect your physical and mental health. This is especially true if you are recovering from addiction or have a difficult time dealing with stress and anxiety. So, devote more time to the basic activities that help you feel your best. Stick to your fitness plans through the winter by picking up some home gym equipment, or find healthy comfort foods to get you through the colder months. Even if it’s something as simple as getting a haircut, you need to make time to truly focus on yourself. Regular stress relief and self-care should be the foundation of any seasonal affective disorder care plan — or any effort to improve your mental health.
Talk to Your Doctor About Treatment Options
One of the most important moves you can make in treating seasonal affective disorder is to get diagnosed. Different from depression, SAD is still considered a variant of major depressive disorder that tends to show up around the same time each year. Although this condition is referred to as the “winter blues,” symptoms can also surface in the summer, and not everyone diagnosed with SAD will experience the same effects.
Having an official diagnosis is important because it is easy for individuals to mistake other mental health conditions for seasonal affective disorder and miss out on crucial treatment options. Research is increasingly showing that certain bipolar disorders can have seasonal symptoms as well, but the care prescribed for bipolar disorder is much different than the care for SAD. If you are feeling especially down and are having any thoughts of suicide or self-harm, it’s important to seek medical help immediately. Feeling disconnected from friends, losing interest in your favorite activities, or experiencing feelings of hopelessness are signs that something more serious is going on and you should reach out for help.
Find Tools That Will Make Winter Easier
If SAD is indeed the source of your winter depression, the good news is that there are a few tools that can help you feel better. Some of the most effective gadgets for relieving seasonal depression are SAD lamps. For these specialized lamps to be effective, they need to mimic outdoor light (10,000 lux), but they also need to provide protection from any UV rays that may be emitted during use. Limited natural light exposure during the winter may also account for lower levels of vitamin D. Your body needs this vitamin to keep you feeling energized, but if you can’t get it from the sun, you may need to add a vitamin D supplement to your winter care routine. It’s a simple move that can make a difference in how much SAD impacts your life. As with any supplement, ask your healthcare provider about any interactions with medications or treatments. You should also look for a vitamin D3 version for the most helpful benefits.
When you are suffering from seasonal affective disorder, the winter months seem to drag on forever. You can make those days more bearable, however, with some extra self-care and more insight into your mental health. So, don’t let SAD leave you feeling down the entire winter.
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