Over one and one-half million people experience this disorder each year
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression that affects a person during the same season each year. If you get depressed in the winter, but often feel much better in spring and summer, you may have seasonal affective disorder.
This disorder can cause inordinate feelings or behavior, and can compound the “stress factor”; particularly for those already feeling overwhelmed by daily stressors.
You may have normal mental health throughout the majority of the year, but SAD can affect anyone. It is most common among people with age ranging from fifteen to fifty-five. It is especially common for women, though men have experienced SAD too.
It is especially prevalent for those who live in areas where winter days are very short, or there are big changes in the amount of daylight in the different seasons.
Symptoms
If you have SAD, you may feel grumpy, moody, anxious, or actually sad. You may lose interest in your usual activities and eat more and crave carbohydrates such as bread and pasta, gain weight, sleep more, feel drowsy during the daytime, and/or experience a lack of energy.
Immediate Help
There will never be more immediate help to level your emotions than the use of your own oxygen! When we suffer any of the symptoms, without thinking about it, we slow our breathing and really deprive our body of the oxygen it needs to maintain peace and find some relief.
Initially remember, if you are concentrating on your breathing, your mind will be centered on that job (breathing). The brain, as magnificent as it is, can only THINK of one thing at a time. It will divert your attention temporarily to more positive thoughts.
As you breathe and move you create endorphins that make you “feel good”. You’ve probably heard of a “runners “high”. That is born of use of the breath, and the movements of the body creating those feel good endorphins.
You have much more control over the way you think and the way you feel than you may know. The magic here is that you must PERFORM and REPEAT what will ultimately transform your life.
Classical Treatments
There are many different treatments for this classic seasonal disorder. SAD is treated with light therapy, antidepressant medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, the hormone supplement melatonin, or possibly counseling. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing symptoms of SAD.
Though symptoms can be severe, most symptoms usually clear up.
