Now that winter is coming, many people will experience SAD – here’s what you can do.
Seasonal affective disorder, also known as seasonal depression or SAD, is slowly creeping up on Canadians now that the weather is starting to change. With colder weather and less daylight, the atmosphere of this time of year definitely gives us reasons to feel moody. But are there ways to fight it?
The most common treatment behind seasonal affective disorder is light therapy. According to research done by Harvard Medical School, SAD is triggered due to a drop in access to sunlight within the body’s circadian rhythm.
“Self-care is crucial to one’s mental health.”
Light therapy mimics the exposure to sun through either a daily walk outside during bright hours or through a 10,000 lux light box. When using a light box, the person would ideally sit in front of it for about 30 minutes, absorbing the rays of light.
There are side effects to using a light box, however, which include nausea and headaches, depending on how easily the body adapts to the sudden light spike.
An alternative to light therapy would be a combination of exercise, healthy eating, and actively doing things that make oneself feel better, such as reading or painting. Doing these forms of self-care are crucial to one’s mental health and are typically recommended regardless of your mental health condition.
While these are not total cures entirely, the combination of all three are often used as treatments for most types of depression. These treatment options are usually more difficult to accomplish when dealing with a more extreme depression, as small tasks often feel harder to do if the condition worsens.
Another option for seasonal affective disorder could be trying therapy. While therapy is sometimes a seemingly daunting option, it has shown to be effective when treating mental health issues.
The Canadian Psychological Association has stated that cognitive behavioural therapy in particular is helpful in not only treating SAD, but also preventing future episodes when the seasons change again. This form of therapy is a form of psychotherapy that mainly focuses on a person’s thoughts, feelings and actions or behaviours, and how all three are interconnected with one another.
When treating SAD with cognitive behavioural therapy, therapists would typically focus on the more ‘negative’ thoughts and behaviours associated with the dark, gloomy winters and try to rewire the brain to see things more positively. This process isn’t immediate, and it can take a few weeks to start truly seeing results of psychotherapy.
With these options, seasonal affective disorder can be treated in a productive manner. Seasons change, just like moods, and seeking help is never something that anybody needs to feel ashamed of.
Keeping oneself mentally healthy is just as important as being physically healthy. Canadian winters may be beautiful but it is only natural that the lack of sunlight and cold weather would affect the human mind quite a bit, especially with how stark the difference is now between our seasons.
It is important to remember that while depression can be vicious on the mind, we are not alone.
