The weather over the last few weeks has been wonderful; sunny, dry and warm. As someone with Seasonal Affective Disorder I am soaking up as much of this as possible and feeling like a completely different person to who I am when the clocks change and the winter returns. No-one who met me today would know there was a different Heather waiting to come back out at the end of October when the clouds block out the sun.
But what is SAD?
In my blog Seasonal Affective Disorder - it's that time of year I go into some depth as to what this disorder is. However, in brief SAD suffers tend to find that when the weather changes and we move into winter their personality and energy levels change. They may experience amongst other symptoms:
More people experience this than are aware of it meaning some people are spending their winters deeply unhappy without looking into what they can do about it. Others are aware of it but don't realise life doesn't have to be like this.
With the main causes appearing to be altered circadian rhythms due to changing day length and vitamin D deficiency caused by reduced levels of sunlight hitting the skin the only true cure is to move nearer the equator. However, this does not mean that action cannot be taken to lessen its effects.
Some of the things that can be done to help with the symptoms are:
- Use of light therapy in a number of different forms
- Taking supplements to balance brain chemistry
- The use of techniques such as mindfulness and CBT to help reduce depression and anxiety
- Complementary therapies to help balance the mind/body/spirit
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