How to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) is a disorder affecting people during the Winter months when the days get shorter and the weather turns grey. Many of us suffer with SAD and often put it down to ‘Winter blues’ and try to get on as normal despite the symptoms, where actually there can be different ways to help beat that Winter sadness.
The symptoms of SAD include:
Fatigue
Irritability or moodiness
Sadness
Weight gain
Sleeping more
Difficulty concentrating
Distancing self from social interaction
How can SAD be prevented?
The best way to prevent SAD is to put the following methods into place before the Winter months hit, this allows you time to prevent SAD affecting you. However if you are suffering some of the symptoms now, it is definitely not to late and still recommended to implement the following:
Walk during the day: Make sure to allocate some time every day to walk in the daylight - preferably for at least 30 minutes. Try to walk without looking at your phone and keep looking up and around - this helps both your posture and vitamin D exposure! If you work 9-5 then make sure to go in your lunch break
Use light therapy: Light therapy alarms can be easily purchased and wake you up with light rather than sound - this is meant to mimic the Summer months when light would naturally wake you up rather than just your alarm
Supplement Vitamin D: Vitamin D is a cheap supplement that can be purchased form us and can really help boost your vitamin D levels in your body. This is not only great for preventing SAD but also great for your immune system!
Eat a balanced diet: Ensure your diet is vegetable and protein rich - having a balanced and healthy diet doesn’t only help make you feel good but also ensures you get as many vitamins as possible
Talk to someone: If you’re feeling down, make sure to tell someone; often telling another person can really help
Many of us suffer with SAD, but luckily with following the above advice, it can easily be prevented. I personally used to suffer with SAD but from getting my first dog Milo 6 years ago I have never had it since! (this is also a great excuse to use if you want a dog and are trying to convince your partner/parent haha!).