Late fall into winter can cause Seasonal affective disorder. From now on we will call it SAD. During the winter months we have darker, colder days, and we don't receive near as much sunlight during the day verse spring and summer months. Sometimes you will hear people say they have "the blues" or "cabin fever".How do you know if you suffer from SAD? This blog will give you some insight as to how SAD is diagnosed.
Symptoms include:
Loss of energy
Sleeping more
Ordinary tasks become more difficult to complete throughout the day
Eating more, leading to weight gain
Social isolation aka "becoming a hermit"
There are a few things that you can do to reduce these symptoms during the long winter months.
1. More exposure to light. Perhaps on a sunny day you could take a walk to soak up that rare vitamin D that happens so very little during the winter season. Any type of exercise is beneficial not only for your physical but also your mental health due to the release of what psychologists and doctors call Serotonin and Dopamine in the brain.
2. Plan an activity or make plans to spend time with people whether that be walking at the mall, trips to the library, lunch with a friend or by yourself. If you go to a restaurant request to sit near a window or a brighter lit section of the building.
3. After any type of exercise or even just when you are at home you can light candles or warm wax in your warmers in the room your in with a favorite scent of your choice to help raise those neurotransmitter levels in your brain. Below I will link a few of my favorite places to find wonderful scents that help all year round!
4. Keep more lights on in the house. You can also purchase special lights online which help ease SAD symptoms. For example, most have heard of what we call "sun lamps". I will also link a place to find those as well.
If symptoms persist please reach out and make an appointment with your medical doctor for more options.
Here are some links to find different ideas mentioned in the above blog!
Sun/Therapy Lamp
http://www.amazon.com/Trademark-Global-72-0820-Sunlight-Floor/dp/B003T5KIL4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421338791&sr=8-2&keywords=sun+lamps
Candles and warmers:
Scentsy Wax warmers
https://stephanieleeannarce.scentsy.us
Traditional Candles that use fire:
http://www.yankeecandle.com
If you have a topic that you or a friend would like to have discussed in one of my blogs please feel free to email me at:
dmorganphd.lpc@gmail.com
I will do my best to cover anything requested. Thank you for your time and stay warm during these winter months!
