6 Tips for Beating Seasonal Affective Disorder
Winter is the season of quiet. Leaves have long since fallen from the trees, life is slowing, and the daylight is capped by late and early calls for sleep. While the ground has not yet hardened with cold, I feel the same foreboding that arrives every Winter. I am lost. I am trapped. I must wait, clawing at the ceilings as I search desperately for sunlight.
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In Summer, you will find me outside, face upturned during the hottest portion of the day. I will be slick with sweat, itching, but unable to remove myself from my place in the sun. I would climb the sky if I could. My joke is the same each day: My father is Arab. I am of a desert people.
It could be my light sensitivity and high light needs are genetic. What I am dealing with is called Seasonal Affective Disorder. Once the shade is pulled on the sun, the shade is pulled on my life. My energy dissipates, my will is depleted, and my goals are heavily modified so that moving off the couch during a three hour morning block is celebrated as success. My moods begin to shift. I grow quick to anger and feel choked with uncried tears. I want no one to touch me. I want no one to see me. I have no desire to leave my home or interact or seek help for the malaise that claims me.
This year, I am taking a new approach. A friend lent me a SunRay light therapy lamp. I sit near it for a minimum of 15 minutes every morning. I am using liquid D3 daily. Moving around is essential to combating the depression that creeps up with Winter. I am resolved to moving every few minutes, sometimes using the empty cup trick to ensure it happens. It goes like this: I need a hot cup of coffee or tea in my hands at all times to prevent shivering (no, my house is not cold). I have thermal carafes, but I leave them in the kitchen. That way, if I sit down and finish my drink, I have to get up to refill it.
Today, I found myself wandering through imagined Summer. Wrenching myself from that daydream came with a revelation. We keep a space heater in our bathroom. When the chill really settles on Indiana, our bathroom requires extra heat help. This morning, I brought the heater downstairs. With it on High and the sunlamp shining on me, I am almost fooled into feeling Summer in my bones.
Self-care is a tricky issue. Seasonal Affective Disorder can slowly grow into depression. If you have experienced depression, you know the most critical point for practice of self-care is before its mantle is fully settled on your shoulders. This requires a self-consciousness many of us lack in our daily lives. Here are a few tips for staying connected to yourself and stave off the growth of depression during the dark days of Winter:
1. Find a buddy.
My husband and I use the buddy system to hold ourselves accountable. I struggle with PTSD. My toddler is going through a hitting phase. Last night I pulled my spouse aside to let him know I am having to work hard to be nonreactive. This benefits us both because he is now aware of the times when I may need extra help, and his knowledge that I may be reactive stops my reactivity. (More on PTSD and reactivity.)
2. Make a list of what you need.
What helps you? Is it chocolate? Light? Specific music? It can be incredibly difficult to remember how to help yourself day to day when depression takes hold.
3. Make a list of what to watch for.
My friend quits and restarts drinking diet soda more frequently than I can track. Most of the time, the stop and go is inconsequential–maybe she wanted to save a few bucks or forgot to buy soda or was just tired of the routine. However, when she shows frustration that she is back on that wagon, I start looking at her face for bags under her eyes or puffiness. Why? She hits the soda hard when she gets a respiratory infection. That craving is one of her body’s signals that something is off health-wise. Knowing your physical and emotional patterns is invaluable.
4. Give up shame.
Shame and depression go hand in hand. Let go. I promised myself when I restarted my writing I would not be held back by shame. You can’t seek out or provide necessary self-care if you are unwilling to accept you need and deserve it. And you do! We all deserve love, especially from ourselves.
5. Speak up.
When you need help, ask for it. See the above. Depression is a cage, and you hold the key. You are responsible for your healing, whether that means seeking out a friend or therapist, hitting the gym, scheduling a regular bubble bath or finding the correct medication.
6. Celebrate the small stuff.
Give yourself a break. Pat yourself on the back for moving from one couch cushion to the other if it was a difficult feat. Recognize that you are working very hard to make it minute to minute. Be proud you are choosing to do so. Some days I make a list of three things, and if I get one done I give myself a reward (usually a square of chocolate). Don’t beat yourself up afterward, or be sarcastic about it. Be genuine. You accomplished something. I know how hard that can be. Sometimes the small stuff is huge. And the benefits of training yourself to think on the bright side? Endless.
What are your seasonal struggles? What are your favorite self-care methods?
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Good share. In addition, make sure there is enough vitamin D in the body.
Preferably in a combination of calcium and vitamin K.
Yes! Great points. Thank you!
You're welcome!
I think you covered pretty much most of the basics & this is a topic which affects so many people. I used to live in Canada and have now moved to Greece - so I do not complain anymore. However, I remember that even when it was cold - if I could get outside for a brief walk & to soak in some natural daylight within 2 hours of waking it made a difference. Light enters the brain through the eyes & impacts serotonine & dopamine (which are neurotransmitters & play a role in mood). In addition, taking a winter vacation to a warmer climate is always a good idea. Keep posting - I will be looking out for what you have to share.
That sunlight in the eyes makes all the difference. I've been taking a vitamin D capsule on days when it is overcast to sort of simulate that effect. It gives me a bit of a boost.
Excellent suggestions, @shawnamawna! Funny, as I started reading, I thought, "I should tell her about the SAD lamps, and how much they've helped a local friend" - next thing I know, you're talking about them! 😊
I especially agree with paying attention to your body and brain's hints that something's up. One pattern I've discovered in recent years is that when I'm wicked stressed out, it kicks up yeast in my system. Because yeast loves sugar, I start craving (and eating) tons of sweets. The more yeast builds up in my system (not just a simple yeast infection - like, intestinal too), the more stressed out I get.
That's my cue to take a few days of putting my brain in a stress-timeout, and being mindful of how I'm eating (more water, less sugar, lots of probiotic goodness) to get things back on track again.
Oh, and yeah - the, "giving up shame" has been one of the toughest things to remember for me. Thanks for the reminder!
Sending you some...
Ah, yeast. That one used to annoy me to no end. I follow a ketogenic diet now, so haven't dealt with it as much, but I occasionally get off track, then comes the stress, then come the carb cravings and peanut butter benders. I experience shame around that cycle (and that can lead to disordered eating), but looking at it as an opportunity to receive a message from the bacteria my body is a colony to is super creepy AND effective!
LOL! Good perspective on it! 😊
While I don't get SAD, I do have issues with the seasons. Summer's too hot, and I wilt. Winter's too cold, and I shake. Spring and Fall bring allergies, and breathing becomes harder. I really should move to someplace like Panama, that basically doesn't have seasons.
I let you know how guatemala is.. its pretty close!!
From what I've seen, it gets a little bit warmer, and a little bit colder than Panama City, but is still very temperate.
That sounds like a very nice solution. Beaches. Sun. Food. Should we create a commune?
commune would be hard but a retreat has been in the works
This is the most informative post on Seasonal Affective Disorder I've seen all year! The extended reading will keep me busy for a while.
You've been resteemed as a part of the #LadiesofSteemit initiative!
Keep up the great work. 🎈
Thank you!
First time coming across the term. Definitely familiar with the feeling though. Definitely love the sun!
I'm pretty bad at making new buddies--though I'm trying to keep my old ones closer. I suck at making lists. I don't talk much. But I guess I gotta work on these things. Thanks for the post, Shawna.
You are welcome, and I'm sure we can come up with some techniques that work for you. Maybe talking to yourself in a mirror? That starts out weird, but once you're practiced at it, it can really help.
These are good tips. I should try harder to fight this.
You've got this! But also--don't be afraid to manage your spoons. We don't always have enough spoons to do all the things. I don't want to give off an ableist vibe here. Not suggesting you aren't doing enough, but if you believe you can do more, I support you.
Very useful article for people suffering from SAD. I always think these types of articles are much more useful from people who have first hand experience.
Hope the summer comes soon for you.
Thank you! I hope so too. I am really missing the heat.
I like the 'celebrate the small stuff' tip. This is what keeps me going on my bad days :) Great post
Sometimes I have to make the small stuff up. It's like creating a list of things I did and marking them off just to remind myself I've accomplished something.
GREAT post! My husband struggles with SAD a LOT and it took years for him to even recognize it in himself. After being together for so long, I think we are good at naturally helping each other when we're struggling at things like this, but this is a really good reminder for me (and us) to pick it up and discuss things a little more. I think when you've been together a long time, you can start taking communication for granted and these are great talking points. Just to touch base and make sure we don't need to adjust. Now that our kids are grown, we are having to change and figure out what we need all over again in some cases.
Great post!
@byn
I'm so happy this is useful to you! These convos are the heart of partnership when our brains are overwhelmed by . . . whatever has us on overload. Current for me is the Daisy meeting I just left. Now gearing up to teach adults. Ah, breath of fresh air. I am grateful.