What comes with changing seasons? Well, with Spring comes the blooming of flowers and a sense of renewal, Summer, heat and a reminder of how badly one wants to go on a vacation, Fall, colored leaves and brisk morning air, and Winter, both calming and exciting colds and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Yes, Winter brings a bitter cold, a stiffness to the joints, a darker mid-afternoon, and, here in the Northwest, a significant amount of rain. But this isn’t all that Winter brings. With Winter also comes a gloomy feel, tiredness, and less daily activity. For those with Seasonal Affective Disorder, there might even be more. Not only does Season Affective Disorder (SAD) come with depression, daytime fatigue, and withdrawal from social situations and normal daily activity, but it also comes with a general change of sleeping schedules as well as a change in eating habits, which contributes to food cravings and, as mentioned before, weight gain.
SAD is a very common disorder, and there isn’t much we can do to really avoid the disorder’s affecting us. Aside from the gloomy weather creating a sort of invisible prison, trapping us inside our houses for sake of staying dry and warm, the darkness of a house—not nearly as bright as the hidden sun outside—can really change the mood of a person. In fact, SAD is heavily associated with the seasonal darkness.
Thankfully, SAD is fairly easy to treat. It’s recommended that a person who is affected by SAD go out and get more sun exposure for the day. Even if the clouds are smothering the sun, the light will still escape and offer what it can. Go out and take a day-time walk if the weather allows. If the weather is too forbidding, you can expose yourself to bright lights for about half an hour per day. Tanning beds would be perfect! Along with a nice, seemingly-summer glow, the bouts of depression are fended off.
Of course, antidepressants and psychotherapy are also options, but one should always consult with his or her doctor before taking these forms of treatment on.
Winter is here and thriving. The gloomy weather is ever present, the clouds consume the sky, the rain is falling onto our heads (especially for Northwesterners). And while it’s important to remember an umbrella or warm clothes, it’s also so, so important for us to remember our mental health.
