It’s no coincidence that the sad scenes in movies are often accompanied by grey, dreary days and thundering storms, while the happy ones are usually lit by bright sunshine, blooming gardens and endless summer nights.
The seasons really can affect our mood, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD as it’s often referred to) affects 35 per cent of Australians.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that mostly affects individuals in the autumn and winter months, usually easing off in spring and summer. That being said, some people do experience a ‘reverse’ version where they have symptoms in the summer months instead.
What are the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder?
The symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder naturally vary from person to person, but usually they include things like: low mood, irregular sleep patterns or regularly oversleeping, low energy, poor eating habits, unusual weight fluctuations, higher than normal anxiety, and a loss of interest in day-to-day activities.
While it’s not 100 per cent known what actually causes Seasonal Affective Disorder, the most widely accepted understanding is that it’s due to a lack of light exposure during the short days of the cooler months, which leads to the body producing less of those useful hormones: melatonin (which helps you sleep) and serotonin (which helps regulate your mood).
Certain demographics may also be more likely to be affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder than others. If you are young, female, live further from the equator (the centre line of the earth) or have a family history of depression, you may be at a higher risk of experiencing it.
How to manage Seasonal Affective Disorder
Thankfully, there are some coping strategies you can use to help you through the bad periods:
- Light therapy – something as ‘simple’ as getting out for a walk first thing in the morning can help boost your mood and relieve symptoms. If you’re unable to get outside due to the weather, try to bring as much natural light as possible into your home. You can also get indoor lighting that is specially designed to mimic sunshine.
- Diet and exercise – maintaining a healthy relationship with food and meeting nutritional needs, especially when mixed with exercise (even gentle movement), is a great way to boost your endorphins. Bonus points if you can move your body outside and get some fresh air!
- Sleep – sleep plays a massive (and often underestimated) part in our overall wellbeing. Maintaining healthy boundaries around bedtime, such as avoiding screens in the lead-up to sleep, and keeping the bedroom as a calm and quiet space, can help to make good sleep a lot more achievable.
- Doing things you love – as hard as it might be to get started when you’re not feeling very well, engaging in your favourite hobbies is a great way to distract your brain, connect with friends and bring joy to your day.
- Medication – in more severe cases, medication like antidepressants can be prescribed to help relieve the symptoms. Some individuals also find that Vitamin D supplements help.
If you’re experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. Talking to your family, friends, and peers is a good way to ease some of the isolation that depressive symptoms bring. We also recommend talking to your doctor,r as they will be able to work with you on putting a wellbeing plan in place.
