Feeling S.A.D.?
You’ve switched out your skin barring wardrobe for cable knits and wool. The light of day is getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. The sunny days have made way for cloudy skies. The pool and bbqs have been covered. The fireplaces are stoked and crockpot chili and soups are making their rotation heavily in the family meal plan. It’s warm and cozy inside the house, but something doesn’t feel right inside the mind. You just might be feeling S.A.D., as in Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, what is it?
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D. is a type of depression brought on by the change of the seasons. It’s pretty straightforward in it’s name but how exactly does it manifest itself?
Seasonal Affective Disorder can manifest in some of the same ways that depression does:
- a hard time focusing
- no longer finding joy in things you love
- no energy
- change in appetite
- feeling down with no pinpoint reason
- difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
- weight loss or weight gain do changes in appetite
- suicidal feelings
- excessive eating or consumption of alcohol
- substance abuse
Now, much like depression Seasonal Affective Disorder’s symptoms don’t manifest in a one size fits all scenario. You could be experiencing one, some, or none of the above.
Dealing
It’s important to mention that we aren’t robots! We are humans that are cornucopian creatures. Our feelings are a collection of the good, the bad, and ugly. It’s just as normal to experience sadness as it is to process joy. However, if you are starting to feel that the bad is out weighing the good, it’s a good idea to talk with a health care professional. It’s difficult for us to know exactly what’s going on especially if it’s something that you have never experienced before.
Journaling is hands down one of the most effective ways to help navigate. It is an excellent tool for many things. Keeping a daily journal in which you document the day’s events with your thoughts and feelings you can create a log that can be referenced by yourself and/or with health care professional. You can track how many day’s you have had low moments, and compare and contrast thoughts and feelings with the life events. Journaling is great way to self reflect and trace out connections, correlations, and patterns.
Soothing the S.A.D.’s
Here are a few ways that you can health sooth mind and spirit;
- Talk to a counselor, therapist, or other health care professional
- Get some sun if you can. This of course might be entirely impossible since this predominantly a fall/winter thing but if you gets some rays(protected of course).
- Get with your people. They say misery loves company, and you know who else loves company? Joy. She loves company too. Sometimes when you feel like you want to be alone that’s the last thing you need. A laugh, a hug, a good cry even, experienced with a loved one is sometimes exactly what we need to get that happy back in our veins. Even if it’s just for a moment, it’s a reprieve non the less.
It’s important to know that there are so many resources out there. Find your resources and your remedy. It’s different for all of us and there are so many ways to get back your joy, and get back to the most positive you.