SAD
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Making it through the winter in the Midwest takes a lot of courage. The holidays are over, and we are inching our way toward Spring Break. There is finally light at the end of the tunnel! But we're not quite there yet. While the smell of springtime may be in the air, we must still be mindful to take care of both our mental and physical health. In this article, we are going to talk about some ways of dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This is a mood disorder characterized by depressive symptoms such as fatigue, hopelessness, and social withdrawal that occur during the same time each year. Seasonal Affective Disorder is caused by a decrease in exposure to natural sunlight and Vitamin D, lack of physical movement, and feeling isolated socially.
We all know how important sunlight is for our health. This is where we get our natural source of Vitamin D! Vitamin D actually acts more like a hormone than an actual vitamin in our bodies. It helps to regulate our hormonal balance, provides a natural source of energy, better circadian rhythms with sleep cycles, and helps manage our stress hormones (like cortisol) when they build up in our bodies. Yes, Vitamin D and sunlight are crucial to our well-being. Yet it can be difficult to manage proper levels of sunlight during the winter months. That's why I decided to share some ideas that can help you maintain a healthy balance in life during these more difficult months.
1. Talk Therapy – Having a safe therapeutic space to process the heavier emotional side of life can be extremely beneficial. Talk therapy will give you the ability to facilitate self-awareness, restore choice in your daily life, and hold space for you to be vulnerable in a natural healing process.
2. Movement Therapy – This doesn't just mean lifting heavy weights in the gym or going for long runs. Joint mobility, acupressure points, muscle tension relief, and cardiovascular regimes are important in facilitating a self-regulated nervous system. Our bodies are a brilliant interconnected system of intelligence that is designed at its foundational core to move. If you're looking for some guidance on ways to deal with stiff joints … check out Dr. Spina's work with Functional Range Conditioning!
3. Cold Weather Therapy – There are a few variations of this, and we are going to go over some of them here. The impact a cold shower has on the nervous system is similar to that of a computer that is overheating or glitching because too many processing mechanisms are occurring all at once. The human body is similar in that we need to reset our systems, especially when too much stimulus-response is coming our way for a prolonged period of time. A cold shower or going for a walk outside on a brisk winter day are different ways you can restore vitality in your body. A lot of us seek comfort in difficult and overwhelming times, and especially in the winter months, most people will want to seek comfort inside a warm home. This is understandable, but too much comfort can keep us feeling stuck and sluggish after enough time. If you're feeling this way, then now might be the time to start getting uncomfortable again and step outside for a nice, cool winter walk on a sunny day! When our minds are depressed or anxious, it transfers to our view of the world, making it feel closed in... literally! Taking a walk outside is a form of natural cryotherapy (and it's free!)
4. Microbiome – We can manage some of the symptoms of SAD by incorporating specific foods into our diet. Nutrition is a key contributor when it comes to our mental health. Below I have listed a few of my wintertime favorites to enhance mood:
- Fish: Salmon and Tuna are filled with Omega 3 fatty acids, rich Vitamin D, Magnesium, and zinc, all of which are important in brain health and may play a role in depression. Data suggests that those who struggle with depression have lower levels.
- Ashwagandha: An Ayurvedic natural remedy with mood-stabilizing properties to reduce anxiety and depression. Ashwagandha comes in powder form that may be added to tea, coffee, or a smoothie. (Disclaimer: Speak with your physician or physician’s assistant before introducing any new form of supplementation into your diet.)
- Cinnamon: Reduces inflammation, improves memory, increases attention, and enhances cognitive processing which may contribute to mood stabilization.
- Kefir: Similar consistency to liquid yogurt and is a good source of probiotics, rich in protein, and loaded with vitamins (especially Vitamin D).
- Berries: Antioxidants may help manage inflammation associated with depression. They contain a wide range of antioxidants and phenolic compounds (which play a primary role in combatting oxidative stress). Oxidative stress is an imbalance of harmful compounds in your body. Blueberries are high in anthocyanin (responsible for blue color) which may lower the risk of depression symptoms.
Wintertime Mood Booster Recipe: Combine 1 ½ cups Kefir, handful of blueberries, a touch of honey, and a pinch of cinnamon, and enjoy!
“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.” - Carol Welch
I love this quote because it's simple, direct, and a gentle reminder of taking a step forward. Nothing changes if nothing changes. While it can feel overwhelming to take action when our bodies are feeling depleted, it's also important to remember that the only way through the discomfort is to literally move through it.
Our bodies are designed for movement, and unfortunately, with the demands of modern-day life, we've become more detached from this primal need than ever before. With more stagnation in our physicality, our bodies are not able to break the daily stress cycles they undergo. Then, we begin to accumulate more distress than the body can tolerate. This can affect sleep patterns, our overly stressed nervous system will begin to crave sugars, our ability to emotionally regulate will be impacted, and our overall function in daily life will suffer. The modern-day world can make it difficult for us to manage all the tasks, responsibilities, and routines required of us. When we become overwhelmed, the first thing to go is almost always our own self-care.
We are also a society that operates in extremes. We go from sitting at our desk to standing at our desk all day, overconsumption to malnutrition, and chasing after what we want to completely avoiding certain areas of our lives. These extremes of “all or nothing” can put us in a place of feeling either not good enough, or stuck in the position of constantly trying to overcompensate for all the areas of life we feel undervalued in. Remember though, that life is not an “either-or.” There is enough space for you to accomplish your daily task, spend some time in the evening letting a loved one know you care, and still be able to fit in a walk that day. Creating a realistic plan for yourself to move through the responsibilities of daily life and be an active participant in your own self-care are both possible.
Getting started is always the hardest part. You don't have to be perfect to get started. What's more important is simply meeting yourself where you are today. For instance, a 60-minute boot camp workout with sprints, burpees, and high-intensity aerobic exercise might be too much physically on your body today...but going for a walk outside and drinking some water could be a great option. A little movement is better than no movement, and most of the time we just need to get the ball rolling in order to pick up momentum in an area of our lives we want to address.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” - Lao Tzu
Try not to focus on the destination so much as the journey itself. One step at a time and you're on your way!
