I always thought I was just depressed, but last summer, my depression went away. I was so thrilled and excited that I had magically gotten better. False alarm, once October hit, I was depressed again. I had no idea what was going on, so I talked to my doctor, and he diagnosed me with Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Being in Minnesota, winter goes from end of October to April. It is never ending. I hate the cold, absolutely hate it. Once I graduate, I am out of here. Here are some of the tips, I have been using to help myself get through this winter:
LEARN WHAT SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER IS
The best thing you can do is learn what SAD is in general, and what it is to you. Research different things and learn about all the symptoms because there may be things happening to you that you don’t realize that are apart of SAD. For example, one of the symptoms is craving carbs and sugars, and I never knew why I always craved sweets, but it is actually one of the symptoms!
REFLECT UPON YOURSELF
For me, I needed to learn what depression is to me. There’s a WebMD definition, but there are different ways that it affects your body. Depression to me makes me super exhausted. All I ever want to do is sleep when I’m depressed. I also either will eat a lot or nothing at all. Depression makes me push others away. When I am extra tired, I know that it’s ok to take a nap. I know to not buy unhealthy food for myself, so I don’t eat a bunch of it when I feel depressed. Learning all of these things about myself has helped me find ways to cope with them.
GET A SUN LAMP
A sun lamp sounds SO weird. However, it is the best purchase I have ever made (other than my left handed spiral). Every morning for about 30 minutes, I sit and either curl my hair, or do my nails, or knit in front of this thing. It gets me up and going. Let me tell you, it is ALWAYS gloomy here, and I love this light because it’s like my little sun. I got mine off of amazon, and make sure the light is at least 10,000 lux. Make sure you don’t look right into the light (it is SUPER bright) and make sure you’re sitting close to it (about a foot away), with the light a little bit above your eyes. Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with depression, and you live in a cold state, I swear by it – it works.
EAT HEALTHIER
A symptom of SAD is to crave sweets, and I don’t know about you, but when I crave something, I will eat it, a lot of it. As hard as it was, I stopped buying unhealthy food for my apartment, so I won’t eat it. Once I started eating better, I started feeling better, and a lot of those cravings went away. Fruits have healthy sugars in them, so whenever I am craving something sweet, I will eat some fruit, and it makes me feel a lot better than a cookie does in the end. Eating healthy might be hard at first, but start with small steps, and you will slowly start to feel better.
GO FOR WALKS
The last thing you want to do when it’s 10 degrees out is go for a walk. But put on two layers of pants, boots, scarf, hat, jacket, gloves, etc, and get your butt out there. Grab a friend and go walk and talk. It might only been for five minutes, but at least you’re getting out of your house and going outside. I love to be outside in the summer, so when I can’t in the winter, it kills me. Getting outside, might be miserable at first, but after you are done, you will feel way better.
EXERCISE
Exercising is probably the last thing anyone wants to do when they’re depressed, but it has helped me so much. I have slowly started working out again, and I haven’t felt like this in a long time. Grab a buddy, and go to the gym with them, even if it’s walking on the treadmill for 15 minutes, it’s something. Working out releases endorphins and relieves stress, which allows you to feel better after you do it. If you are depressed about something such as your weight, then this is a great way to start to feel better! I know it seems impossible, but any type of step is progress, so you should be proud!
OPEN UP YOUR BLINDS
The sun means more to me than most people, so having big windows in my apartment is great. I always open the blinds in the morning, so I can let all the natural light come in. When I am depressed, I love nothing more than to sit in a dark room, but the natural light and sun makes you feel so much better. Having the blinds open with the sun shining in, is one of the best feelings even when there is snow on the ground.
BE WITH FRIENDS
I know when I get depressed, all I want to do is be alone. However, this just makes things worse, so when I am depressed, I make sure to get out of my room, and go into the living room to hang out with my roommates. Just saying hi to someone and having a conversation will make you feel better. Sometimes it’s the last thing you want to do, but if you force yourself to do it, you will be glad you did. Letting your friends know when you’re depressed, might not be easy, but they will know to stay with you and support you because that’s what friends are for!
DO THINGS YOU LOVE
For me, I am a very artsy person – I love arts & crafts. When I was depressed, I stopped doing this. I really have got into knitting (I know, I’m an old grandma), but I love to make things for myself and for others. I also make little signs for my apartment. I love to bake as well, so I will bake things for my family and try new recipes just to try new things. Obviously, I love arts and crafts, but if you love to read or write music, then do whatever makes you happy. Create an outlet for yourself.
REWARD YOURSELF
Having SAD couldn’t be harder, especially when you live somewhere where it’s freezing. So even if it’s as small as waking up in the morning or getting out of bed, then you should reward yourself. If I am having a bad day, and I do something difficult for me today in which I really pushed myself, then I will reward myself. Do something such as, making hot chocolate, buy yourself that book you’ve wanted, treat yourself to a new ball of yarn, something that will make you happy. Always be proud of yourself! Even if you don’t get out of bed until 3 pm, be proud, you deserve to be, and you accomplished something difficult!
By: Morgan McAfee