Winter is unescapable and with it comes SAD.
No, I don’t midpoint the emotion (although that’s part of it).
I’m talking well-nigh Seasonal Propelling Disorder.
Luckily, we have some tips and tricks for treating SAD that our Online Coaching Clients use. Today, we’ll share them with you too.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What is Seasonal Propelling Disorder?
- How do I know if I have SAD?
- What is the weightier treatment for Seasonal Propelling Disorder? (Slaying the SAD Beast)
- Moving forward with SAD (This too shall pass)
Disclaimer: We’re going to be discussing some issues that may be difficult for some going through a tough time. If you (or someone you know) aren’t coping so well, PLEASE see the links at the marrow of this article with some resources from all virtually the world. Obviously, we recommend discussing this information with your health professional – none of this is a diagnosis, but rather a starting point for discussion.
BUT, armed with the right weapons, we can ward off the winter monster, or plane alimony it in full hibernation.
From here, mental health wizard and resident NF Family Rebel Correspondent, Dan Schmidt, will take it away:
What is Seasonal Propelling Disorder?
As Mentor Jim mentions in the video above, Seasonal Propelling Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder that, spoiler alert, has a seasonal pattern.
(Plus, it’s a really clever acronym.)
It’s moreover known as:
- Winter depression
- Winter blues
- Seasonal depression.
In a nutshell, SAD makes people with ‘normal’ mental health experience depressive symptoms at a specific time each year – most often winter.
SAD can be a cruel, powerful, and rabble-rousing tundra foe.
But armed with the right weapons, we can ward off the winter monster, or plane alimony it in full hibernation.
How Do I Know if I have SAD?
Most of us finger a little glum in winter…it’s natural to finger a little down.
Cold mornings, less time outside, and often it’s not as easy to get out and do our favorite things:
So for a lot of us, winter just sucks a little.
We’ve known something was up since the 6th century, but SAD remained a mythical creature until the 1980s in the West when it became officially recognized as a mood disorder. While we’re still not 100% sure of how it works; it’s pretty well-spoken to see that SAD expressly thrives in cooler, darker climates.
For example, studies show[1] SAD’s prevalence in the U.S. ranges from virtually 1% in Florida to 9% in Alaska. Looking virtually the world, in Oslo, Norway, virtually 14% of the population will be impacted by SAD,[2] while us lucky buggers Lanugo Under are barely impacted at all, with estimates that only virtually 1 in 300 Aussies (0.33%)[3] will wits SAD during the “winter.”
Yes, SAD can occur for some people during summer and other seasons, but this is particularly rare compared to winter prevalence.
Common SAD symptoms include:
- low mood for most of the day.
- loss of interest in your usual activities.
- drowsiness and low energy (lethargy).
- fatigue, irritability, and severe mood swings.
- Irregular sleep patterns (too much and/or too little)
- eating increasingly than usual, expressly starving sugar and carbohydrates, leading to weight gain.
- loss of interest in things you normally enjoy doing.
- intrusive or torturous thoughts.
Depression is not just a fancy word for feeling “bummed out”, and SAD is just as serious as any other depression and needs to be dealt with promptly and effectively. (See the end of the vendible for a list of mental health services links.)
“But how do I know the difference between unstipulated winter glumness, or if I’m stuff mauled by the SAD yahoo like Leo in the Revenant?”
Ask yourself these questions:
- “Do you finger like you can’t get yourself out of this rut?”
- “Have you lost an interest in things that you usually enjoy?”
- “Have you felt this way for increasingly than two weeks?”
If so, then it could be time to have a yack with a professional and perhaps seek treatment. Once again, SAD is just as real and can be just as devastating as Major Depressive Disorder; the only difference is the yearly regular onset.
This stormy yahoo can take over someone’s unshortened well-being, and if left untreated, the consequences can be devastating.
So let’s learn how we can slay the SAD, or plane better, alimony it in hibernation this year, so we nerds can protract to conquer all year round.
What is the weightier treatment for Seasonal Propelling Disorder? (Slaying the SAD Beast)
As with any injury or illness superabound battle, you need to use the right medicine weapon to save the day. And there are many weapons you can equip yourself with to slay SAD.
Here is how to treat Seasonal Propelling Disorder:
#1) GET SOME LIGHT
Light helps the body produce serotonin (hormone that affects mood) and reduces the production of melatonin (hormone that makes you sleepy).[4]
Starting with natural light is best, plane though it’s not unchangingly easy. If the sun happens to be peeking out from the clouds, try and get outside for a nice walk. Even on unprepossessed or cloudy days, outdoor light can help, particularly in the morning. Just make sure you stow up properly. The Norwegians have a saying “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing!”
Also, making your work and home environments as light and zappy as possible and sitting near windows can help too.
If you finger you’re just simply not worldly-wise to get unbearable natural light, ‘Light Therapy’ is often one of the first weapons picked up to slay SAD.[5] It can start alleviating symptoms in just a few days. It’s incredibly simple, and sitting under unexceptionable fluorescent globes or in front of a therapy lamp (again, particularly in the morning) has shown to be constructive versus SAD[6] (Anecdotal, but I once met a young woman who started to finger largest just by increasing the wattage of her bedroom light globes).
Be forewarned that Light Therapy is not towardly for everyone, including people with bipolar disorder – talk to a professional if this is a route you want to take.
#2) EXERCISE AND DIET
Surprise, surprise, our old friends come to the rescue once again. It’s clear[7] that exercise is key in keeping the blues at bay, so rug up and take a long walk, and be sure to work out when possible.
Exercise and other types of physical worriedness help relieve stress and anxiety, both of which can increase SAD symptoms.
If you’re really keen to take on winter, try the Winter Is Coming Workout, and start towers that summer soul early. For those who don’t like the freezing weather, that’s tomfool (get it?), you can unchangingly do Steve’s 20-minute hotel room workout (pro tip: you don’t unquestionably need to be staying in a hotel room to do the workout… that was $250 I’ll never get back).
As for nutrition – while there is no well-established link between healthy nutritional practices and a reduction in SAD symptoms. BUT, studies HAVE shown links between healthy eating – like the Mediterranean diet – and a subtract in unstipulated depression.[8]
So anything we can do to eat healthy this time of year may certainly help.
Plus, Steve has once highlighted that if you’re going to eat unhealthy foods during winter, let’s at least be smart well-nigh it and negate the impact the holidays have on our waistlines. Try your weightier to provide a weigh to those repletion foods, and alimony your nutrition as tropical as you can to what it is the rest of the year.
#3) GET SOME VITAMIN D
When exposure to sunlight is low, your soul makes less Vitamin D.[9] According to this study,[10] Vitamin D deficiency affects nearly HALF of the world population. It is important for overall health. Our friends over at Examine say that if your nutrition is decent and there’s only one supplement you’re taking, it should probably be Vitamin D during these upcoming months.
The research is a little mixed when it comes to Vitamin D’s effectiveness in rival SAD,[11] but some studies[12] do show an resurgence to everyone’s peepers scale scores (those with or without SAD). Overall, if you aren’t getting unbearable sunlight in the winter, consider picking up some Vitamin D!
Recommendations differ for the value of Vitamin D needed – or if you plane need it – so remoter thoroughbred work and a talk with your doctor is a good nomination here.
#4) MEDITATE
Meditation has been shown to help unstrap symptoms of depression.[13] Now, you don’t have to shed all your worldly possessions and go live in the mountains:
But if you’re suffering from the winter blues, a simple mindfulness practice may help. Plane just a few minutes a day can go a long way.
If you want, Nerd Fitness Journey has a meditation venture to help you build up the habit.
It’s self-ruling to try, right here:
#5) EMBRACE THE SEASON
Going when to foreign sayings – there’s a Danish concept of “hygge.”
While there’s no uncontrived English translation, it essentially ways coziness and comfort
Things like:
- Wrapping yourself up in a blanket.
- Enjoying a good book.
- Or sitting by a warm fire.
So instead of lamenting the transpiration of seasons – EMBRACE these other experiences that we get to enjoy.
#6) THERAPY
Talk Therapy (Psychotherapy) and cognitive behavioral therapy sound scary but really aren’t.
Psychotherapy focuses on helping you to build skills to deal with the stresses in your life, withal with identifying and waffly negative thinking patterns.
Therapies such as these squire with relearning some of the patterns and thoughts in your life that aren’t doing you any good.
(You can read the Nerd Fitness Guide to Mental Health for increasingly info.)
It can finger daunting and really weird ‘opening up’ to a stranger at first.
But having a mentor to talk through your negative thoughts and feelings, someone who can teach you to manage those better, is often quite effective.
Most people will notice an resurgence in as little as two weeks. Really, the “weird” stigma is usually the biggest windbreak to plane doing the thing in the first place!
#7) MEDICATION
Finally, some people with SAD goody from antidepressant treatment, expressly if symptoms are severe. We’re not here to offer any medical advice, so please see your doctor if you think medication may squire you.
Moving forward with SAD (This too shall pass)
It’s normal to have some days when you finger down, and the holiday season can be expressly nonflexible for some.
When short days and miserable weather are piled on top of this, it’s easy to see why ‘winter blues’ is so common. But if you finger lanugo for days at a time and you can’t get motivated to do activities you normally enjoy, please speak to someone and see your doctor. This is expressly important if your sleep patterns and want have changed, you finger a sense of hopelessness, you have intrusive thoughts, or you turn to alcohol/substances for repletion or relaxation.
Above all, take superintendency of yourself this winter:
- Be sure to get unbearable rest, and take the time to relax.
- Participate in an exercise program or engage in flipside form of regular physical activity.
- Get outside when you can.
- Make healthy choices for meals and snacks when possible.
- Reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or health professional if you finger you’re having a tough time.
And if someone reaches out to you, remember: We are Rebels, we fight conventional wisdom and smash stigmas. Never leave a fellow nerd behind.
If you finger the bitter, tundra yahoo starting to rise from its summer slumber, remember that you are not alone, and there are ways to slay the frosty fiend. You are strong unbearable to write-up this, and the unshortened Rebellion has your back.
Want a little increasingly from us?
If you want to protract your journey with Nerd Fitness, we have three unconfined ways for you to do so:
#1) Our Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for rented people to help them make largest supplies choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.
You can schedule a self-ruling undeniability with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the sawed-off unelevated for increasingly details:
#2) If you want an word-for-word roadmap for getting fit, trammels out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise increasingly frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
Plus, we have Missions specifically designed to help you stay active, no matter what the weather is like outside.
Try your self-ruling trial right here:
#3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box unelevated to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Nutrition Cheat Sheet, and much more!
Alright, that does it for me. Rebels, take superintendency of yourself and each other.
Do you have your own secret weapon to slay the SAD? We’d love to hear from all you Rebels well-nigh how you alimony your mind healthy during winter; the increasingly ideas we all have, the better! Let us know in the comments!
– Dan
PS – If you, or someone you know, would like remoter support, here are some spanking-new links and services that will get you started in the right direction:
- North America – Suicide Prevention Lifeline, List of Mental Health hotlines
- Canada – Suicide Prevention Service, List of Mental Health services
- Great Britain & Ireland – Samaritans, List of services via Mental Health Foundation
- Australia – National helplines and websites, Lifeline, headspace
- New Zealand – Lifeline, Mental Health helplines
- India – SNEHA
- Norway – Suicide hotline
- Worldwide – Worldwide mental health hotlines, Worldwide suicide hotlines, Befrienders Worldwide
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Photo source: lilu330 © 123RF.com
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