You know what if feels like, even if you don’t know the medical name for it. The clouds roll in to stay about the beginning of September or October, depending where you live, and your energy curls up in a corner and refuses to come out and play for months.
This seasonal slump is commonly called the winter blues in its milder state, or seasonal affective disorder in its stronger version. The acronym SAD sums it up well.
We all follow the sun
Here’s my over-simplified definition: Despite all our techno-whiz-bang, we are still animals who respond to the changing seasons, the sunrise and sunset. When we don’t get the light we need, our bodies react; and it doesn’t feel good.
SAD: When Your Body Clock Is Out of Sync
Familiarity with your personal body clock and how it works with the seasonal rhythms will solve the mystery about why you:
- Feel depressed
- Have little energy
- Are cranky and irritable
- Crave carbohydrates
- Can’t sleep well
- Are fatigued
- Withdraw from social events
- Can’t concentrate
- Gain weight
- Lose interest in sex
Wouldn’t eliminating a few of these winter doldrums make a difference in your daily life? Imagine what it would feel like to wake up easily and rested, not be filled with dread when the sun hides for another day, enjoy the idea of socializing at a party, concentrate easily on a project and not worry about winter weight gain.
Hardwired Planetary Rhythms
Let’s face it: We evolved under the open sky and the sun. We haven’t yet altered more than 3 billion years of evolution and the rhythms of the planet are hardwired into our systems. The changing seasons are the reason why huge migrations still happen like clockwork around the world.
Research and Technology Provide Answers
This is where technology can help. Extensive research and new technologies give us the tools to fight winter in our own homes.
Recognizing your personal seasonal cues and taking appropriate action can significantly transform your winter experience. Tracking your seasonal response and inner energy reserves will show you how to manage the winter blues and SAD.
- You’ll know when to start light therapy and how to adjust for the light exposure you need.
- You’ll anticipate your body’s reaction when you overload the carbs and you’ll adjust your eating patterns to maintain your mood and energy.
- You’ll know when and how to change your level of physical activity.
- You won’t get that sinking feeling in your gut when it’s dark in the middle of the afternoon.
The Key to a Successful SAD Management Plan
Because seasonality varies based on the individual’s age, gender and location on the Earth, it pays to spend a little time with a few assessment tools to determine your seasonal cycle. The intent is to find out where you fall on the scale – from mildly affected, to dreading winter with low energy, to deeply depressed and needing medical treatment.
While there are as many shades of gray between the winter blues and SAD as there are gray winter days, determining your baseline is key to knowing where to start with your management plan.
SAD and the Winter Blues Don’t Discriminate
At whatever point you fall on the scale, realize you are not alone. It’s estimated that 1 in 5 people in the United States suffer from the winter blues (14%) or SAD (6%). That’s 20 percent of the population.
In the far north and into Canada, it’s estimated that 1 in 3 people are afflicted. In the often gray and wet United Kingdom, at least 10 percent of the population struggle through the season.
The Winter Blues Wheel
I’ve created a quick way to get a snapshot of your seasonal cycle with the Winter Blues Wheel©, which you can download here. This is not a scientific assessment, but if you rank two categories at 6 or higher, chances are good the winter blues are a problem for you and you could benefit by learning more.
Online Self-Assessment
If so, consider taking 15 minutes to answer this self-assessment at the Center for Environmental Therapeutics. The Personal Inventory for Depression and SAD provides a comprehensive picture of seasonal depression and whether you should seek medical treatment.
Then come back here and learn how light therapy can change your winter experience, and how you can inexpensively find out if it will work for you.
Until then, here’s something to think about:
- How would winter be different if the gray days and blue afternoons weren’t in your way?
- What would you do with more energy during the winter?
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