Tips and Tricks on Dealing With Seasonal Affective Disorder

People often say that it is perfectly normal for a person to be sad every once in a while, if they are feeling so down most of the time then there may be something wrong with them and are in need of professional help since it can be a sign of severe depression or any other mental health issue. However, it turns out that being sad every once in a while can be something to worry about as well especially if it is affecting someone’s behavior and their overall wellbeing.

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Having Seasonal Affective Disorder

Mental health experts believe that not all depression kinds of depression have to be something so severe to the point that it has to be felt 365 days a year. Some of them can be felt quite a few times but not as often. This is known to be the Seasonal Affective Disorder or more commonly known as SAD.

It is a type of depression that is usually related when the season changes quite a few items a year. Most people begin to feel the symptoms after the summer or as soon as they feel the cold breeze of fall. This will then continue all the way to the winter months. In some severe cases, it can be led to severe depression once spring comes, but there are some who feel better once winter is over, hence it is known to be seasonal.

Some of the symptoms that you need to watch out for are very similar to the feeling of being depressed such as not having enough energy to literally do anything, feeling really down almost every day since the new season started, having a hard time sleeping, not being able to make choices since they’re having a difficulty when it comes to concentrating, and most of all having the feeling of hopelessness or guilt. Some mental health experts also say that all of this may depend on the season and most of the time it was during winter time that becomes so noticeable.

Keep in mind that just because you are feeling a bit down today or every few days, doesn’t necessarily mean that there is something wrong with you or that you must see the doctor as soon as possible. That is because being sad is a natural human emotion and it is totally inevitable to feel joy at all times. One most obvious sign that it is more than just being sad is when this feeling comes in every once in a while and it affects your behavior and almost every activity that you are a part of. However, if today doesn’t go your way and you’re feeling sad about it, them keep in mind that it is okay to have not so good days since no one has their lives figured out and not everyone is happy every hour of every day.

Dealing with SAD

Experts said that there are treatments that may help you with your disorder and one of them is by having Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRI or by taking some antidepressants. However, there might be some side effects that you need to watch out for and if a certain antidepressant doesn’t work on you, there are others that can be prescribed by your doctor.

There is also what they called as the Light Therapy, which one of the most famous ways to treat SAD and it has been around since the 80s. It is known to be a therapy wherein it will try to replace the diminished sunshine that has been taken away because of fall and winter. A patient will usually be exposed to an artificial light almost every single day to be able to trick the brain.

However, experts believe that going on a vacation somewhere where it is warm and sunny could totally work since it is natural. Of course, not everyone could afford it so one of the best ways to do is to distract yourself since the mind has the ability to forget certain feelings if you are busy doing something else or dealing with something else. When you are just indoors laying in bed and literally doing nothing, then you’ll definitely deal with SAD during the cold months. Experts also said that it doesn’t have to go so far, little tricks will do after all we have the power to control our thoughts.