Edited by Carol Eugene Park
Winter has finally settled in and perhaps, you’re enjoying the snow, the chill and the comfort of cuddling in your blanket, reading your favourite book and drinking warm, tea, or binge watching a tv series and eating your go-to comfort food. Or, maybe not. Instead of embracing the cold winter season, you want to stay in bed all day. You are unenthusiastic about working out, or you can’t enjoy any hobby. Or maybe you get impatient and intolerable, engaging in petty arguments and you don’t feel like letting anyone into your safe place. Maybe you feel unsafe in your safe place.
There may be a possibility that you are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD.
Initially classified as a “distinct mood disorder” in the early 1980s, SAD is categorized as a subset of depression in which its symptoms come and go periodically with seasonal changes.
Here is a brief list of activities you can try to tackle the symptoms.
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Light Therapy
Decrease in the level of serotonin, the mood hormone, can affect or trigger depression. A reduced exposure to sunlight can drop serotonin levels. Light therapy helps in cases like these. Instead of sitting in front of lamp at home, try to buy some of the certified light bulbs, specifically made for treating SAD.
Light therapy devices require you to sit in front of them for 30-40 minutes, depending on the product’s lux value.
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Aromatherapy
Some studies claim that “inhalation of essential oils can communicate signals to the olfactory system and stimulate the brain to exert neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin and dopamine) thereby further regulating mood.” You can use the oils in a diffuser: use the diffuser for 30-60 minutes, turn it off for the same time and repeat the cycle for full therapeutic effect. You can also use the specific blend of oils that suits your needs by mixing some oil drops in a spray bottle filled with distilled water, and then spray it in your room.
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Therapy and Counseling
People usually take the guidance of professional counselors for effective recovery. Talking to a counselors helps people confront their health issues and resolve them.
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Exercise
Fighting lethargy with exercise gets the heart pumping, increases the adrenaline and improves your mood.
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Eat Healthy
You need to provide your body with proper nutrients while it deals with hormonal imbalances. Make sure your diet is adequate in carbohydrates and fiber which can help you go through your daily routine and provide enough energy for you to workout.
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Maintain a proper sleep schedule
Try to sleep at the same time every night. Try using a bullet journal to mark your daily sleep schedule to regulate the amount of sleep you get.
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DIY activities
If you feel moody, and lethargic, it is often helpful to keep your mind busy with do-it-yourself activities: water the plants in your home, paint, clean your closet, cook your favourite recipe, read poetry, write poetry–anything to relax yourself.
It takes time and effort to improve your mood and treat the seasonal affective disorder, but as Charles Bukowski once said, “Nobody can save you but yourself and you’re worth saving. It’s a war not easily won but if anything is worth winning then this is it. Think about it. Think about saving your self.”
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