Coping With SAD: 5 Tips
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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can really suck. For some it’s a mild annoyance, for others, it’s the equivalent of severe clinical depression. I guess mine falls somewhere in the middle – which makes it manageable, thank God – but if I don’t stay on top of it, it can get pretty bad.
I live in a country where much of the winter averages 6 hours of daylight, and the hours of sunlight are very gray most of the time. This is due to pollution, for the most part, and pretty much makes you feel like you’re living in darkness most of the time. Interesting to note, until I came to this country, I was bona fide night owl. I spent most of my life sleeping until 2 or 3 pm and going to bed at dawn. The sun exposure I got was more than sufficient.
I don’t know if my body has changed, or if living closer to the North Pole has something to with it, but my days of being able to wake up mid-day are gone -- and these are the tips I use to cope with it. It's not a cure, but it's enough to ensure I don't need medication or some kind of therapy.
More SAD Articles
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
Signs, Symptoms, Cure - Light Box Therapy
Light Box Comparison
Five Coping Mechanisms
Sleep with your bedroom curtains at least partially open Sleeping with your curtains drawn puts you in an artificially darkened room. You are already having trouble with the natural light source sucking, do not add to that by making your psyche feel completely blocked from the outside world.
Go outside at mid-day -- It doesn’t have to be noon, but it should be between 11 and 3. And you should stay out there for 10-30 min. If you’re working in an office, do it on your lunch break. Just make sure you do it. It makes a HUGE difference. Even if it’s raining, go outside – just stand somewhere the rain won’t get you, cos that can suck, too.
Use your lights -- They can be energy savers, just make sure they are on and sufficiently lighting the room you are in. It will really help. And yes, I mean during the day.
Do not sleep past sunrise -- If this means you have to go to bed early, so be it. It’s a far better alternative to oversleeping (which one can be prone to do, once they've realized they've slept through part of the day's sunlight allowance) and staying in bed a full day because you’ve become so depressed and lethargic you can’t move.
No caffeine after 2pm -- I am not a big coffee drinker, but I do use it in the winter months to counter SAD lethargy. If you drink coffee, limit yourself to 3 cups max, and don’t have any after 2 pm – you don’t need to give your body a reason to want to stay up all night.
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Comments
Living in Seattle, I know a lot of people who suffer from SAD. My husband told me yesterday that he has started seeing people with portable SAD therapy light boxes - at a coffee shop, on the bus, etc. I'm from sunny California, so I know it affects me too. Good tips here. I make sure I get outside during the day, out of my dark and almost windowless office.
Paraglider - That too, I guess. ;)
Stacie - One of the links up there is to an article I did while back on SAD light boxes. I almost got one, but Ive been able to feel pretty good this winter without having to. Id imagine it sucks in Seattle too, cos you guys only get a little more daylight than we do. Before here, though, I lived in Texas, where there were more than 10 hours on the Winter solstice. It was nice! ;)
Sunlight? What is that again? As a Vancouverite I am permanently vitamin D deficient. Photographer friends of mine use their light tables to help boost their mood and energy. It definitely helps.
Thanks for enlightening me on SAD. I never heard of this disorder. I find winter a little depressing because I am not outside as much. I am not a big fan of the cold.
Good HUB Isabella! Great Tips for the S.A.D.
regards Zsuzsy
Thank God! We Indians have quite a good amount of sunlight, and reasonable winter!
What Prasad said. Now I appreciate the sunlight I get a bit more.
Didn't know that SAD was the term for this, and the details and 'coping mechanisms.'
Thank you, Isabella.
Awe, Isa. Your sunny personality should be enough to treat you and several of your friends.
Another great article as always with top tips that are always very useful..
Thankyou:)
RFox - LOL. I guess I probably need some supplements myself. ;)
TT - You're welcome! I actually love the cold.. just hate the lack of sun! ;)
Zuz - Thanks! They work for me so far! :)
Prasadjain - Sounds like India is the place to be! ;)
Kenny - Yep, SAD for Seasonal Affective Disorder.:)
Fret - Oh, you're so very funny... very.. very.... :-p
Compusmart - Thank you! :))
Isabella, I've never heard of these techniques. Very interesting.
Great hub! I suffered from this for years, until I finally moved away from Seattle and to sunnier climes. Thanks - I love your hubs. - Steph
mmm I am SAD at the moment and its summer !
Whitney - Thanks!
Steph - Hope you don't have it anymore! And thanks for the kind words! :)
Barry - SAD happens in any season, this article is about winter cos thats the one that affects me, and the one I have tips for. ;)
Great tips, Isabella. It is true that people have to get outside in the winter, even if they don't like the cold. I find the more I hike outside in winter, the easier it is to cope with the shorter daylight. Besides, it acclimates you to the cold. I live in New Jersey so the worst it gets here is about 10 hours of daylight. Great hub.
Thank you so much for the hub. It's helped me realize what's going on for me.
I'm living closer to the Arctic Circle than I have before, working abroad in E. Europe for a year, and I'm only just realizing how much my winter blues is due to a wildly exaggerated version of what I used to get mildly in New England. Well, figuring it out is the first step to fixing it!
AAt least there seem to be coping mechanisms for you all; I only wish I could find some for atypical SAD. Anchorage is actually having a summer that everyone else is finding glorious, but it's beating me up...my energy seems to do nothing but drop.
Great hub! I can fully empathize with the experience of going from being a "night owl" to really being affected by SAD. I was always a late night person who loved winter (and I still love winter) but I spent three years in Fairbanks, Alaska, and those winters are as long as they get. Spending Christmas in the Midwest had be bouncing off the walls. SAD is definitely something anyone moving far north needs to know about. Thanks for sharing!
hone, what's even worse is when the seasons begin to change and they not supposed to . Rainy weather gets me everytime. Good Luck you are not alone.
dori
Paraglider says:
2 years ago
Or take an extended term of duty in the Middle East - the 'winters' are wonderful!