It’s mid-February here in the cold northern hemisphere. The excitement of Christmas and the New Year is long over. Where I live, heaters are on, fires roar, and we wrap up in blankets by the window to enjoy the light. The light from a cloudy, sunless sky. Again. For what seems like the 57th day in a row. El Nino has made our weather much warmer for the season here, and done nothing to improve the sunlight. Enter seasonal depression.
Feeling Sad and Bummed? Think you may have seasonal depression?
It’s easy to feel sad and bummed after the new year. The excitement and busyness of the holidays is over. By mid-January, the challenge of New Year’s resolutions is feeling somewhat old. Perhaps like me during these months, you feel sad and unmotivated for no reason. Maybe you want to sleep longer than usual. Or maybe you are having trouble sleeping? Me too. I feel more irritable, sad, and tired during the colder, darker months between January and March. Feel the same? You aren’t alone.
Many people suffer from SAD or seasonal affective disorder. Not familiar with this? SAD is known as seasonal depression or winter blues. According to the Mayo Clinic, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression occurring at a particular time of year. Usually this happens in the fall/winter months when daylight hours are shorter. Read more about it here. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20364651 Changes in light exposure disrupt the body’s internal clock leading to feelings of depression and lethargy. For those in the northern half of the world, this is a way of life after the new year.
Causes of Seasonal Affective Disorder
What causes the winter blues? We don’t understand the exact cause of SAD. Seasonal Affective Disorder involves many factors including:
- reduced sunlight exposure
- disrupted circadian rhythms
- imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin.
The symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder are similar to those of other forms of depression and include the following:
Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness
- Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
- Fatigue or low-energy
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability or agitation
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Thoughts of death or suicide.
Even if you don’t suffer from these symptoms personally because the colder weather of winter doesn’t bother you, chances are you know someone who does. Perhaps they don’t even know they are experiencing an emotional disturbance caused largely by the weather. If you don’t suffer from these symptoms, pay attention to those around you who may. Feel free to share this post with them. However, if you, like many others and I, suffer from feelings of sadness and inadequacy maybe you have the winter blues. If you additionally feel a lack of energy, have sleep disturbances, maybe a perpetual feeling of blah during the cold, winter months, be assured, that it will not last. You are not going crazy. Here are some things you can do now to help you improve your mental well-being.
11 Tips to Help You Crush Seasonal Depression
1. Try eating a balanced diet that includes Vitamin D, tryptophan, and citrus fruits
- Traditionally, Vitamin D has been thought to strengthen bones and prevent bone deformities in children. It began to be added to dairy products in the 1930s as a public health initiative to reduce the incidence of rickets. Indeed, Vitamin D helps with more than fortifying the bones. It helps regulate mood and serotonin production in the brain. A neurotransmitter produced by the brain, serotonin regulates mood and sleep. Depression and depressive features are linked to low levels of serotonin.
How Vitamin D eases Seasonal Depression
- Natural sources of Vitamin D-rich foods:
- Oily fish and fish liver oils, salmon, sardines, mackerel, and trout are great choices for high levels of Vitamin D. Where fish is concerned, the oilier the better as oily fish contain higher levels of Omega 3. My favorite is salmon.
- Egg yolks are mother nature’s incredible and very edible source of Vitamin D. One serving (two eggs) containing 8.2 micrograms of Vitamin D. That’s 82% of the daily recommended allowance in just one serving!
- Other great sources of Vitamin D are yogurt and cheese.
- Mushrooms exposed to sunlight are also a good source of Vitamin D. Much like us, the skins of mushrooms create vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Additionally, mushrooms are rich in the vitamin D precursor ergosterol, ultraviolet B converts it to ergocalciferols, also called provitamin D2.
- Other fortified foods, such as milk, and milk substitutes, tofu, breakfast cereals, and orange juice contain high levels of Vitamin D.
What exactly is tryptophan and what does it do?
Tryptophan, an amino acid, is a key ingredient in making serotonin in your brain. Commonly known as one of the key chemicals involved in regulating mood, serotonin helps us feel calm, relaxed, and sleepy. We often experience feelings of depression when we lack serotonin.
Animal-based proteins like eggs, poultry, red meat, and seafood are naturally high in essential amino acids, which include tryptophan. Dairy products like cheese and milk also contain high levels of amino acids containing tryptophan.
Not keen on consuming animal proteins? Not to fear, there are plant-based proteins that contain higher levels of tryptophan as well:
- Tofu and soybeans or other soy-containing products
- Peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds or other nuts/seeds
- Beans and lentils or other legumes
Citrus Fruits
Eating citrus fruits high in Vitamin C improves brain function. Improved brain function is associated with good mental health. A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that eating two or more servings of citrus fruits daily decreases the risk of seasonal depression by 18%! Read about that here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7831325/ To get my free curated list of superfoods to help you improve your health and wellness, be sure to add your email.
Other actions to take to help with those winter blues include:
2. Limit alcohol intake to decrease the effects of Seasonal Depression
Just like consuming high amounts of sugar will produce a “sugar high” with an adverse “sugar crash”, consuming alcohol in the short term raises serotonin levels. This makes you feel calm and happy. In the short term. In the long term, however, this will cause a crash-and-burn effect. “Drinking alcohol temporarily boosts serotonin levels, which can improve your mood in the moment. But in the long term, excess alcohol consumption does the exact opposite. Low serotonin levels are linked to feelings of depression and low energy”. You can read more about alcohol and depression here: https://riahealth.com/alcohol/health/depression/#:~:text=Drinking%20alcohol%20temporarily%20boosts%20serotonin%20levels%2C%20which%20can,linked%20to%20feelings%20of%20depression%20and%20low%20energy.
3. Exercise
- Know why exercising regularly and staying active is a good way to combat the winter blues? Physical activity stimulates many brain chemicals that make you happier, more relaxed, and less anxious. As well, exercise tends to release dopamine and endorphins into the brain. These chemicals are responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness. As you begin exercising, it causes stress on the body and raises the blood pressure. The brain interprets the rise in blood pressure as a stress it needs to fight or flee from. The brain releases a protein called BDFN (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which protects itself and you. The BDFN protein repairs and protects the memory neurons in your brain, and acts as a reset switch. This causes you to feel calm, mentally clear, and happy after exercising.
- Exercise also provides a sense of control, comforting us when events or issues make us feel out of control. Endorphins released continue to act on the brain. These minimize the temporary discomfort of exercise and make us feel euphoric. In turn, this boosts our self-confidence and acts as an anxiety buster.
4. Ways Meditation combats seasonal depression
- Practicing meditation helps decrease feelings of sadness and depression by training the brain to achieve sustained focus. Faced with negative input (think emotions, thoughts, or physical sensations), we regain a healthy perspective as we return to our focus.
- The brain’s structure alters over time as meditation transforms the grey matter forming new neural pathways. Brainwaves slow down, and, meditation will help to slow those down racing thoughts.
- Meditation stimulates the vagus nerve which moves your body from a fight-or-flight state of stress to a relaxed restful state. Other helpful effects of meditation are lowered stress hormones, improved attention, and sleep, and decreased pain sensations in the body. Mindful meditation practices also decrease the chemicals in the body that contribute to seasonal depression.
- To learn how best to practice meditation, click here.
5. Yoga
This “sport”, ever practiced by “old fogies” to maintain range of motion, is now on the rise with the younger generation. They see its many benefits. If you aren’t currently practicing yoga as a form of exercise or meditation, you may want to reconsider. Quite a few studies have shown that practicing yoga is just as effective as antidepressants and exercise in reducing symptoms of depression. Researchers have found that yoga provides short-term immediate relief and long-term reduction of symptoms. Practicing yoga decreases the severity of depressive symptoms.
6. Beat Seasonal Depression by Getting Social!
As an example, I dislike going anywhere during the winter months. I prefer to stay warm indoors and near a fire. However, spending time with other humans, and especially those I trust, helps me to cope with the feelings of sadness and disconnectedness I feel with seasonal depression. Often these trusted and loved individuals can distract you and make you feel loved in ways nothing else can. Often I have come away from a gathering with renewed energy and hope. Eating lunch out or catching up with friends over tea can turn a negative day into a positive one.
7. Spend time outside.
Benefits abound to being outside regularly during the winter months. Not the least of which is increased mood and general well-being. And getting as much natural light as possible always lifts my mood. Going for a short walk helps me feel happier in the winter. Feeling the sun on my face, and breathing the chill, crisp air invigorates me as nothing else does.
8. Light therapy
If you can’t get outside, use a light therapy box. A light therapy box mimics outdoor light. This type of light causes a chemical change in the brain. Light therapy lifts the mood and eases other symptoms of Seasonal Depression.
- The light box should:
- Provide an exposure to 10,000 lux of light
- Produce as little UV light as possible
- Recommendations for the use of the lightbox:
- Within the first hour of waking up in the morning
- Only use for about 20 to 30 minutes
- Keeping the light about 16 to 24 inches (41 to 61 centimeters) from your face
- Use with your eyes open, do not look directly at the light to prevent optical injury
9. Play more music to beat those blues
If this is where you find your happy place, don’t hesitate to turn the volume up. Music improves mood, influencing brain activity and the psychological processes associated with emotions. Find your app, choose your playlist, and turn up the volume! Here is one of my favs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60yDjK4EdLTPmqKVdTMQcM
10. Take a trip to a sunny location
Winter feels dreadfully long in our northern climate. If you can break up the colder months, getting out of dodge and visiting somewhere sunny can be a real game-changer! Not everyone can jump on a flight to the Bahamas. Indeed, changing your location by visiting a family member in another city can give you a new outlook on life. Sharing your favorite movie with your bestie a few minutes away can be a welcome breath of fresh air. Even changing your work environment, if possible, to include a cozy coffee shop or quiet office space with a view can revitalize your energy. Sometimes I pack up the kids, our books and laptops, and go for a drive. We park with a clear view of the mountains, inspiring a new mindset in them and me, and helping us shake off the seasonal depression.
11. Practice self-love
Regularly treating ourselves to some much-needed self-care can totally change our outlook on life. Perhaps you have been putting off a haircut or would like your nails done. Go out and get a massage, this is the ultimate in self-love! To read about the benefits of a good massage, click here. Maybe visiting a tanning salon is your cup of tea. Perhaps you find binge-watching a feel-good show helps give you a new perspective (my favorites are Heartland and Downton Abbey). Maybe your thing, like mine, is a long bubble bath with a good book. Whatever it is, don’t wait. Please permit yourself to do something special. Make it out of the ordinary. Do something for you regularly.
(If you continue to feel the above symptoms after trying these things, I recommend seeing a healthcare professional for a more personalized assessment and treatment. See your doctor to discuss any underlying medical conditions before drastically changing your lifestyle.)
Final Words
Suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder in the cold, dreary winter months is no joke and very real. Thankfully, these symptoms do not last. They go away when the sunny days return with the flowers in the spring. So if you live where it’s cold and cloudy in the winter, I invite you to:
- Get out in the fresh cool air and light
- Love yourself!
- Eat a well-balanced diet focusing on Vitamin D, tryptophan-rich foods, and citrus fruits
- Play more music
- Exercise
- Meditate
- Do some Yoga
- Change your atmosphere, go somewhere sunny
- Socialize
- Use a lightbox
- Limit your alcohol intake
Applying some or all of these suggestions may be beneficial to help combat the symptoms of seasonal depression. Sign up for my newsletter to get more uplifting and informative information to help you simplify and improve your life.
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