Though many people love the fall, for some, the shorter days and less light prompts the re-emergence of their Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or what's more commonly referred to as “seasonal depression”. SAD is usually triggered by the changing of the seasons, typically hitting an individual at around the same time each year.
It varies from person to person on which seasons cause the change in their mood but typically it either affects an individual during the spring and summer, or fall and winter. In this case, we will be discussing how to fight back against the days getting shorter and the sunlight disappearing faster as the winter form is the most prevalent type of SAD.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Utah.
Why do people get SAD?
There is a lot of debate as to why people get SAD when the seasons change, but some scientists believe that the changing of seasons can interrupt one's circadian rhythm.
What is the circadian rhythm?
The circadian rhythm is essentially what many people refer to as their “body clock”. Similarly to how your body knows when it's time for bed and when to wake up in the morning, the body is aware of the change in season and reacts accordingly.
Other sources believe that the season changes disrupt the production of melatonin and serotonin, two hormones that regulate mood and sleep. When hearing how similar the two theories are, it’s possible that even both could be the cause.
Regardless of what the scientific cause may be, some people need to adjust the way that they go about their daily life a little to stay on top of their depression. However, everyone's a little bit different so what may work really well for others, may not work as well for you.
Mental health is a complicated thing and no two brains function exactly the same way, so finding what works best for you could take a little bit of trial and error or self exploration.
10 Ways To Prepare For And Cope With Seasonal Depression:
Know Your Symptoms
Before we get into anything else, it is important for people who believe they may have SAD to be aware of their symptoms and to reach out for help if they need to.
If you experience several of these symptoms it is likely that you are struggling with SAD:
Daily feelings of depression that persist throughout the day and occur in a seasonal pattern
Losing interest in things you usually enjoy
Changes in appetite
Weight gain/loss
Sleeping an excessive amount but still feeling tired
General low energy
Difficulty focusing
Thoughts of suicide (feeling suicidal? Help is only a phone call away at the free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988)
If you experience any or all of these symptoms, you may be affected by SAD. If you feel like you need additional help to manage your symptoms beyond what this blog can offer, do not hesitate to seek out the professional help of a depression therapist. At Anchor Therapy, we have a team of highly trained depression therapists who can help you better manage your SAD by offering effective, clinically-proven seasonal affective disorder treatment. Seasonal depression counseling can get you through the roughest part of your year.
2. Fix Your Circadian Rhythm
Many people who suffer from seasonal depression often oversleep as a result of their decreased energy and motivation. As previously mentioned, your circadian rhythm being disrupted is one of the suspected causes of seasonal depression, so resetting your body’s clock can sometimes provide great benefits and normalize one's sleep pattern.
How do I get my sleep pattern back on track?
Getting your sleep schedule back on track is much easier to do than many people make it out to be. It does not involve depriving yourself of sleep at all. The simplest way to accomplish this is to set an alarm to wake up at the same time every day for a handful of days in a row.
After waking up, instead of staying in bed, get up and move to any other location in your home. This will make it much harder for you to fall back asleep and will create a sense of normalcy for your body to operate around. As you continue to wake up at that time, your body acknowledges that it is now supposed to wake up then, and will adjust the time that you begin to get tired in the evening accordingly.
Getting good sleep is essential for one's well-being and can improve your mood drastically.
3. Make Your Own Sunlight
With the sun being gone as early as 4:30pm in the height of winter, one of the most truly depressing things about the winter is the lack of daylight. To some people, the day doesn't end when the sun goes down, but a lot of people's bodies are used to that kind of schedule. So, the absence of light can have a huge effect on people and commonly causes people with SAD to have decreased vitamin D production.
There are a couple of things that you can do to counteract this.
There are 3 main options to choose from:
Dawn Clocks- These special alarm clocks wake you up with a gradually increasing amount of light, making your body still feel like the sun is rising when you wake up every morning.
Vitamin D- As previously mentioned, exposure to sunlight helps in the body's production of vitamin D. A quick and easy way to make sure your body is getting enough of this important vitamin is through your diet. You can increase your intake of foods that include vitamin D in them.
Light Boxes- These are large lit up boxes that produce a bright light that mimics sunlight. It is said that these light boxes can help produce serotonin (the hormones that help you feel happy). If you leave your light box on past when the sun goes down then this can help your body’s circadian rhythm.
4. Have a Regular Schedule
When your body and mind are facing a lot of stress, one of the things that's been found to help the most is maintaining a set and expected schedule. If you set your mind to doing the same thing everyday, for a few days at the same time, it begins to feel more natural and like you are supposed to be doing that thing at that time.
It is important; however, to make sure that in this schedule you give yourself both opportunities to be productive, while still allowing yourself time to relax and unwind when needed.
An example of a general schedule that can help:
Wake up at 7:00 a.m.
Make Breakfast - Even if it is something small, you will have more energy for the entire day if you start your morning with a well-balanced meal.
Go to work at 9:00 a.m.
Lunch Break at 1pm - Your schedule may be so busy that you need to schedule a lunch break halfway through your work day. If this is the case for you, do not hesitate to do so. Taking a break to eat and refuel can do wonders for your energy.
Back to work - For some people, this may be the part of the day where you feel most productive. You are well into the swing of the day, and you feel replenished from your lunch break.
5:00 p.m. - Head home from work and reward yourself by doing something you enjoy, like watching a comfort show or going to your favorite workout class.
Dinner at 7:00 p.m. - Eating the standard three meals per day ensures that you’re receiving the energy you need to properly restore your brain and body after being drained all day.
Remainder of the evening - Hang out with friends or family, read a book, or take part in anything else you enjoy before bed!
Bedtime 10:00 p.m./11:00 p.m. - One of the best ways to make sure you’re adequately rested and recharged is getting a full night's worth of quality sleep. If you struggle with getting a proper amount of sleep each night, read our blog: “How CBT Can Help With Your Insomnia.”
As a reminder, this is just an example of a general schedule. Your schedule may look different. You may even be able to work in more time for breaks and rewards if you need them. Having a rough outline of what you want to do each day can help overcome the feeling that you wasted your shortened day, and gives you a feeling of accomplishment.
The feeling that you're doing something productive and still making the most out of your day really does wonders in the winter months when it feels like there’s barely any time in the day.
5. Maximize Daylight
While on the topic of scheduling, how you spend the hours when there actually is daylight available during the colder months is important. Looking back at the example schedule, a focus of it is making sure that you are out of the house and being the most productive during those hours of daylight.
This is because a lot of people who suffer from SAD tend to lose their motivation rapidly once the sun sets at such an early hour. The best way to get around this is by planning on being out and about or getting whatever work you need done during those daylight hours. Whether it's homework, a task for your boss, going for a walk, or just hanging out with friends, making the most of daylight can help to improve your mood.
6. Stay Socially Engaged
Even though you may want to just stay in bed all winter, there are few support networks that are of greater value to people than their social ones. Hanging out with your friends is a universal way of dealing with stress, and one that’s often underrated.
While you are making great steps for yourself in seeking depression counseling, letting a good friend know about your lack of motivation in order to pull yourself out of bed can have really impactful results. Most friends will try and do their best to get you out of the house and keep you socialized. If not with a greater number of people, then at least with each other. From going bowling and getting dinner together to just hanging out at their house instead of your own, it can really make all the difference.
If you are looking to support someone with depression, feel free to read our past blog “3 Ways to Support Someone with Depression.”
The biggest bonus from being around your friends, though? That's the upscale in serotonin production that comes with laughing at all their hilarious jokes. Generally, it will improve your mood and increase feelings of happiness.
7. Go on Vacation
Birds have been migrating south for the winter for thousands of years, and maybe they have the right idea! A lot of people have actually been following their lead and have made it part of their annual routine to head to a warmer location for the winter months. Not everyone is so fortunate that they can afford split residences, but going on a vacation during this time of the year can have a myriad of mental health benefits.
What are the benefits of a tropical escape during the winter?
Not only do you escape the cold, but due to the earth's natural tilt, the days in the southern United States, for instance, are actually slightly longer than those of the northern states during this time of year.
This not only gives your body a chance to catch up on vitamin D production, but gives you more time to enjoy yourself in what should be a much warmer and stress-free environment.
If a true vacation still sits outside your budget, don’t underestimate the enjoyment of a “staycation”. This is when a family or individual takes off from work for a period of time and spends it relaxing and exploring local leisure activities and attractions. You may not get the warm weather, but at least you’ll get the much-needed mental health break!
8. Exercise
Making sure you are getting some degree of regular exercise is one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself. Not only is regular exercise recommended to improve your physical health, but your mental health as well. Exercise causes your brain to release certain endorphins and other natural brain chemicals that can improve your mood and overall sense of well-being.
Just because you aren’t an athlete or don’t enjoy conventional methods of exercise doesn't mean that this won't work for you either. Simply going for a hike or taking your dog for a walk can make a difference if it's an improvement from your typical amount of daily physical activity. The important part is that you’re making a conscious effort to get out and move.
If you are interested in learning about the impact fitness can have on your emotional well-being, read our blog “5 Ways Exercise Benefits Your Mental Health.”
9. Avoid Alcohol
Though alcohol is present in a lot of social situations, it is arguably one of the worst things you can consume while fighting feelings of depression. This is because alcohol itself is a depressant.
How is alcohol a depressant?
Alcohol is a depressant since it lowers your nervous system's response time and affects serotonin and dopamine levels, which are two of the most important mood regulators and feel-good brain chemicals.
While people may feel an initial boost to their mood upon consumption, it is followed the next day by a crash fueled by a deficiency in the same two chemicals. This lack of serotonin and dopamine heightens feelings of anxiety and depression. If you feel like you need help managing your alcohol intake, you should not hesitate to make an appointment with one of our highly trained substance abuse counselors who can provide you with the help you are seeking.
10. Help Yourself by Caring for Yourself
Everybody needs to take a step back, and prioritize care for themselves above everyone else. As the sole occupant of your mind, it is super important to be aware of when you are feeling depressed, and have ways you can make yourself feel even just a little bit better.
Some examples of self-care include:
Keeping a journal logged with your day to day thoughts
Guided meditation sessions to reset your mind
Simply washing your face and taking care of your skin or hair
There are a lot of things that people do semi-daily or daily like this to help them keep their peace of mind.
There is a stigma that you aren’t allowed to take time away from the other aspects of your life, like your job for instance, to take care of yourself. However, if you only prolong self-care, it will inevitably have consequences on other areas of your life.
Making sure that you are taking care of yourself is fundamental to your mental health. One of the best and most self-aware things you can do is to know what makes you happy, and when you need to do those things the most.
Overall, dealing with SAD can be challenging, but there are always steps you can take to successfully get through it. Although some of these methods may be more difficult than others since they rely on outside factors, such as your friends or the ability to go on vacation, each method has one thing in common- that it starts with you. When it comes to your mental health, no one else's opinion is more relevant than your own. If you can motivate yourself to take the first steps towards any of these solutions, you are one step closer to feeling better than you were yesterday. That's an amazing accomplishment!
Peter Power
is an intern at Anchor Therapy who is expected to graduate with a degree in Human Services: Family Policy & Administration at the University of Delaware. Currently, his professional goal is to learn about business administration and analytics.
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