WINTER BLUES & DEPRESSION.

Are you feeling the winter blues?

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is characterized by persistent low mood and diminished interest in daily activities during the winter months. The National Health Service (NHS) reports an increasing prevalence of SAD, also referred to as the winter blues.

It may therefore take some time before you and your GP realise that your symptoms are forming a regular pattern.

A number of treatments are available for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), including cognitive behavioural therapy, antidepressants and light therapy.

Your GP will recommend the most suitable treatment option for you, based on the nature and severity of your symptoms. This may involve using a combination of treatments to get the best results. Before we examine possible solutions, let’s consider the summertime, what does it entail?

Warm bright light, awesome colours protruding from the flowers, convertible roofs open, people going to and throw pursuing their daily pursuits. This is a normal expectation during the sunning spells.

We wake up and we are meet with the sun or day light,

we can take a walk in the park at 10pm,

we can laze about in the sun,

we can have a picnic or a BBQs if we so wish,

we can attend a festival or a funfair, the list goes on.

In most cases people really appreciate the inviting blue sky the sun and therefore feel uplifted to make good use of the warm temperature and the bonus day light.

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Wintertime

What about the wintertime, what does this entail?

Time to wrap up warm each time you venture outside,

you will experience dark mornings, dark gloomy evenings, rain, snow, and ice.

You will be required to bear wretched cold temperatures as you travel to and from work or higher education,

if you drive you will be required to remove the ice on the car windows in the mornings,

if you travel by public transport often times you encounter miserable stressed commuters desperate to escape the unsavoury weather, umbrellas poking you all that type of stuff.

The Sun provides vitamin D and of course the wintertime rarely bears sunny spells, therefore our vitamin D source is somewhat compromised. Furthermore, during the winter for some that solitary experience is relentless and painfully emotional. Why? A need for companionship is a natural desire for most. Solitude is a daunting prospect to envision, the nights can be long and excruciatingly challenging, bedtime feels like an uninviting lonely experience, no one to talk to, share thoughts or discuss concerns.

The winter can activate encumbrance upon the entire family unit because for one thing the wintertime calls for additional utility usage.

Bear in mind, exasperating financial demands affects the stability of the household in one way or another weather you pay the bills or not.

What’s more, we struggle with the common cold, influenza and other illnesses.

indeed, the wintertime is an intense contrast to the summertime.

No wonder so many suffer with the impact of the winter blues.

What can you do to manage the winter blues?

If you cannot visit your G.P for assistance, you can also try these useful tips.

Write down a list consisting of at least 5 things that you know lifts up your spirit.

Draw up a plan to incorporate at least two of these on a daily basis.

Monitor the type of things that you feed into your mind. Avoid negative material in the media houses such as the TV, your choice of music and mentally draining people whenever possible.

Maintain a healthy diet, exercise and get sufficient sleep.

Keep busy but be balanced. Plan your day but don’t overdo it.

if possible ask a friend or loved one to monitor you and your progress.

In conclusion any case please remember we all have bad days but do your best to stay in control, in other words take the time out to manage your emotions or they will manage you.