What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
We at LIFT are surely not among the only folks who kept the holiday decorations up quite late this year. In fact, one of our clinicians set a probable record with her tree taken down on Martin Luther King Day!
For those facing eating disorders, let’s celebrate a win: you’ve officially made it through the media’s annual January fixation with fad diets and special gym promotions!
Yet, once the festivities of the holiday season are truly behind us, and the winter chill sets in to stay, many of us begin to dread the cold and darkness that will linger on for just a few more months. While it’s typical to dream of spring in these times, there is a difference between anticipating the sun’s return, and the beginning of seasonal affective disorder.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Do you notice your mental health declining as the days get shorter and the temperature drops? How about sadness when you go to work before sun rise and leave work after sunset? Do you notice this pattern every year between mid-October and early March? During this time, it is common for those who impacted by seasonal affective disorder to have the following symptoms: depressed mood, hopelessness, low energy, social withdrawal, weight fluctuation, and, withdrawal from activities. The difference between seasonal affective disorder and major depressive disorder is that these symptoms naturally dissipate during the spring and reappear in the fall.
How can you cope?
There are several strategies you can use while feeling the effects of seasonal affective disorder and worsened disordered eating.
The winter months do not have to be isolating; one strategy is to make time to for family and friends! With more technology than ever before, your loved ones are a FaceTime call away. There are game apps you can use if you can’t have fun with your favorite people in person as well as Zoom dinner parties. LIFT offers both virtual and in person peer groups, and both offer opportunities to meet new connections and build community with like-minded people. Or, you can set up a game night with your friends, an outdoor movie, a firepit, or a potluck!
Speaking of potlucks, be sure you are fueling your body with nutrient rich foods and staying hydrated. A symptom of seasonal affective disorder can be a change in appetite. Consuming the right foods can improve mood as well as making sure you get the right vitamins and minerals in your body and reducing malnutrition. For more help, consult with a dietician.
Grab Vitamin D whenever and wherever you can! Once winter starts, it feels like it lasts forever, but every now and then we get a beautiful day. Whenever you can catch that picture perfect day, soak up the sun! Exposure to light and naturally occurring vitamin D from the sun reduces symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Although daylight is limited in the winter months, get as much natural light into your home as possible. Take advantage of that time to read a book in the sunroom or sit at the table with a cup of coffee and let the sun shine on you as you take the first sip. If you can get outside, go for a walk with your favorite podcast. And if you’re physically active, skiing, snow-shoeing, ice-skating, and forest bathing are wonderful ways of getting endorphins while absorbing some much-needed Vitamin D in nature- a double benefit!
Brene Brown said it best when she said shame needs three things to survive: secrecy, silence, and judgement. If you feel like you need additional support during the winter months, make an appointment with a therapist to process what you are feeling. Give yourself some grace and practice self-care during the winter months!
Contributed By Kimberly Neat, LPC, with Mary Dobson, LMFT
