The SAD days of the year
When the days get short and dark, seasonal affective disorder might creep in. What does it look like, and what can we do about it?
For many people, the winter bears more than snow, football, and holiday gifts; it brings with it mood changes, low energy, and a general sense of sadness. If you are one of the people who has recently been waking up with less energy, feeling down and depressed, you are not alone. Millions of people around the world suffer from SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder – a type of depression that has a recurring seasonal pattern and lasts 4-5 months every year. For most people living in North America who suffer from the “winter blues”, the symptoms will start when days become shorter and the sunlight diminishes, hitting their lowest around January-February.
What does SAD look like?
For many, the signs of winter-pattern SAD resemble some, or all of the symptoms of major depression, which include:
Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
Experiencing changes in appetite or weight (overeating, mainly carbs)
Having problems with sleep (especially oversleeping)
Feeling sluggish or agitated
Having low energy
Feeling hopeless or worthless
Having difficulty concentrating
Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide
Weight gain
Social withdrawal (“hibernating”)
Why is this happening?
While there are no certain answers to this question, research suggests that lack of sunlight impacts our brain chemistry by reducing serotonin (our natural feel-good hormone) while increasing our melatonin (our natural sleep hormone), which may be one reason for our struggle to adjust to the new, shorter, darker days. This shift in our circadian rhythm and the imbalance of the seasonal night-day cycle might be part of the cause of moodiness, sluggishness, and hopelessness.
Another cause could be a Vitamin D deficiency. This important vitamin, essential for serotonin activity, is absorbed both through daily diet and when exposed to sunlight. As the sun exposure decreases during the short winter days, so does our vitamin D supply.
What can we do to treat it?
Though these symptoms can be expected to come and go every year around the same time, shifts in the number of daylight hours can have a devastating effect on our daily lives, routines and relationships. While you might feel despair and challenged at times, all hope is not lost. While SAD should be diagnosed and treated by a professional, there are technologies and techniques one can use to limit the effects of SAD. Here are some of our recommendations:
Light Therapy
Light therapy exposes people to bright light every day to make up for the diminished natural sunshine in the darker months. These SAD therapy lamps are widely available and should be used first thing in the morning for a duration of 15-60 minutes, or for as long as needed. A good light therapy lamp should suit your space, offer 10,000 lux of light exposure, and make it easy to adjust brightness as needed.
Psychotherapy
Can therapy help? You bet. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be very effective in treating SAD, just as any other depression disorder. Bringing up your symptoms with a therapist can help during the hardest parts, and because the timing of the onset of winter-pattern SAD is so predictable, people with a history of SAD might benefit from starting therapy before the fall to help prevent or reduce the depression. We are here to support you when you need to talk.
Natural light
Let as much natural light into your space as possible, preferably as soon as you get up. Try sitting outside for a bit during the day as the weather permits or even just opening the blinds in your home to absorb nature’s vitamin D. So let the sunshine in!
Physical activity
Everything counts: from a 15 minute yoga practice to a 40 minute walk, a body in motion stays in motion! Research shows that incorporating physical activity into your day can activate your neurotransmitters and reduce depression and anxiety. Exercise helps with release of feel-good endorphins and other natural brain chemicals that can enhance your sense of well-being, as well as create a distraction from negative thoughts that feed depression. Don’t feel discouraged, even a stretch or an indoor strength training every day can do the trick and keep your mood elevated.
Meditation
Meditation has been found to change certain brain regions that are specifically linked with depression. The aim of meditation is not to push aside stress or block out negative thinking, but rather to notice those thoughts and feelings, all the while understanding that you don't have to act on them. Daily practice of meditation and other mindfulness techniques can calm your mind, keep you grounded, and relieve symptoms of SAD.
Medications
Like other types of depression associated with disturbances in serotonin activity, SAD is sometimes treated with antidepressant medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). All medications can have side effects and you may need to try several different antidepressant medications before finding one that improves your symptoms without causing problematic side effects. No medication should be taken without a doctor or psychiatrist’s diagnosis.
Keep to a schedule
When the days are short and dark and the mood is down and out it is easy to divert from your schedule and start spending more time in bed or instead of doing things that feel productive. Trying your best to maintain a consistent schedule, including meals, physical activity, and sleep can help you feel stronger and more effective even when you’re low on energy.
Laugh and love
When you are feeling symptoms of depression it is easy to forget that there are a lot of wonderful things in life as well. Research shows that when you smile, your brain releases tiny molecules called neuropeptides to help fight off stress, which are followed by neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin (our natural antidepressant) and endorphins (which act as a mild pain reliever). Self-care is vital and crucial when your mood is low – this is the perfect time to indulge in healthy things that make you feel good. Watch a comedy movie or a series, spend time with loved funny people, have a meal that consists of your favorite dishes, go to a stand-up comedy show – anything that would put a smile on your face. Sometimes, what would make you laugh and smile is just feeling that you are loved – make time for precious people that will meet you where you are and accept your feelings and mood as something you are going through, and not who you are. With their help, the winter will feel shorter and summer will feel like it’s waiting right around the corner.
Our therapists at GTWC are here to help as well- contact intake@gracecft.com to be matched with a therapist who can support you through SAD.