Seasonal Depression
By Estee Keith
So you’re SAD…Be it the post-holiday come down, the already forfeited New Year's resolutions, the weather, or dark mornings and evenings, January and February are gloomy for most people. Cases of seasonal depression sky rocket at this time of the year. According to the Cleveland Clinic, approximately 5% of people may suffer from SAD and a further 10-20% may have a mild form of the ‘winter blues.’ Even if you don’t suffer from diagnosed seasonal depression, it’s not uncommon to feel down this time of the year.
Hol3health’s Editor-in-Chief, Olivia Morrison, wrote about SAD and its causes and symptoms in this December article. As someone who has a noticeable seasonal downturn in mood, I found myself considering what changes I could make in my day to day life to mitigate the funks that I find myself in.
The consequence of a “biochemical imbalance in the brain prompted by shorter daylight hours and less sunlight in winter” (American Psychiatric Association), SAD presents itself in a variety of symptoms. These warning signs look different for everyone, ranging from fatigue, a pervasively sad mood, loss of interest, sleep difficulty, or excessive sleeping, craving and eating more starches and sweets, weight gain, feelings of hopelessness or despair, and at times, suicidal thoughts (American Psychological Association). Though it is important to seek a clinical diagnosis for conditions like SAD, if you fall in the 10-20% who present mild symptoms or simply have a tendency to feel a little lower this time of the year, it’s surprising how much of a difference subtle lifestyle changes can improve or worsen your mood. If you’re struggling this winter, it may be worth assessing your routines and habits to see where you might improve your mood through habit forming and targeting your specific symptoms. For me, the biggest obstacle to making lifestyle and potentially mood changes is the effort barrier. The idea of putting effort into something without a guaranteed positive outcome is quite overwhelming and extremely discouraging when I’m particularly down. Instead, I’ve been looking at different parts of my life that I could approach with more intention and shift positively with small changes.
Sin and Lyubomirsky find in their analysis of Positive Psychological Interventions’ (PPIs) impact on psychological well-being that “a ‘shotgun’’ approach, in which individuals practice multiple PPI activities, may be more effective than engaging in only one activity.” (Sin and Lyubomirsky 2009). In other words, taking a broader approach, and trying several different methods to improve your mental health, often does more good to your overall well being than pouring your efforts into one “solution.” This winter, as the days became shorter and I started to feel the mental toll, I thought deeply about the ways in which I might create small moments of relief in my every day. Armed with the knowledge of what causes and comes from SAD, I targeted three aspects of my day to day to try and alleviate my mood; Daylight exposure, sedentarism, and lack of inspiration or excitement.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) finds that “the best treatment for SAD is increasing the amount of natural sunlight that you see during the day.” I resolved to find ways to seek the sun out at least once a day and for at least 10 minutes in the hopes that it would improve my mood and shake off some of the sleepiness that I felt throughout the day. Given that blue light wavelengths, the type of light most prominent between sunrise and morning, have the largest impact on alertness and vigilance, I have been taking ten minutes every morning to sit outside in the direct sunlight and boy has it shifted my mindset (Alkozei et al., 2017). Another side-effect of the colder months is spending more time indoors and immobile. Working from home, I spend an average of 10 hours a day seated with very few instances of movement. Finding a way to separate work and rest when your office is also your bedroom is an unfortunate outcome of the pandemic, but one that can be alleviated by setting aside time to exercise/move and leave your day-to-day space. The idea of going to the gym is daunting for me. As a dancer, I got all my exercise in a studio from a young age up until I graduated college, meaning I rarely ran on a treadmill or lifted weights. So instead of pushing myself straight into unknown territory…the gym, I started taking walks around my neighborhood in the evenings. Spending 45 minutes outside, listening to a podcast while moving does just enough to keep me feeling active, getting some fresh-air and making sure I’m spending time away from screens.
Finally, I’ve been challenging myself to be more creative and to have fun with crafts. Sin and Lyubomirsky name “engaging in enjoyable activities… and using one’s signature strengths in new ways” as effective PPIs that can improve mental wellbeing. Throughout college I wished I could spend more time exploring my creativity and finding time for new hobbies. So, with my significantly greater amount of post-grad spare time, I’ve been developing challenges to boost my creativity and push myself to try new artistic outlets. The best part about these small creative challenges are that they are low-stakes but definitely high-reward. I can let go and have fun without a huge amount of mental commitment. Though the examples I’ve given in this article are specific to my own needs, I hope they can serve as inspiration to listen to your body and your mind and take small steps as a way to improve your quality of life and mental health. Yes, it’s incredibly important to seek professional advice if needed, and honestly, it’s never a bad idea to see a therapist. On top of that though, finding small moments of joy in your everyday life can go a long way towards lifting your mood and managing the impact of winter weather on your mood and wellbeing.
Reference List
Alkozei, A., Smith, R., Dailey, N. S., Bajaj, S., & Killgore, W. D. (2017). Acute exposure to blue wavelength light during memory consolidation improves verbal memory performance. PLOS ONE, 12(9). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184884
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Seasonal affective disorder. American Psychological Association. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/topics/depression/seasonal-affective-disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). (n.d.). Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/seasonal-affective-disorder
Seasonal Depression (SAD): Symptoms & treatments. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9293-seasonal-depression
Sin, N. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: A practice-friendly meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65(5), 467–487. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20593
Sleep problems and depression: Signs of seasonal affective disorder. American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers. (2020, January 27). Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://aasm.org/aasm-sleep-problems-and-depression-are-common-signs-of-seasonal-affective-disorder/