During specific times of the year (often in winter and fall months) do you have unusual feelings of low energy and fatigue? Do you have a depressed mood that lasts for most of the day? Do you experience loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, changes in sleeping patterns, or feelings of hopelessness? It is possible that you may be experiencing seasonal depression, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Seasonal depression is a type of depression that occurs during specific times of the year.
How to Combat Seasonal Depression
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is commonly used by therapists to build coping strategies. Cognitive Behavior Therapy focuses on the interconnections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Using this strategy, a theapist will guide you through interventions to change your thinking. This will help you better manage your feelings and emotions.
Here are a few tips that you can try:
- Consider your exposure to sunlight and levels of vitamin D. It is believed that seasonal depression changes due to the lack of sunlight that occurs during the fall and winter months.
- Consider lifestyle changes. Since sunlight exposure is believed to have an impact on symptoms of seasonal depression, regular physical activity (especially outdoors) and routine exercise may be helpful.
- Keep a running record of things you are thankful for. This is a reminder of the positive aspects of your life, increasing self awareness and optimism.
- Keep a journal of things you’d like to do and celebrate the completion of those activities. Structured routines can lead to a more productive workflow and a better sense of accomplishment and completion. You deserve to celebrate your wins! Sometimes a win is getting out of bed and washing dishes or doing laundry. It can even be finally folding those clothes that have been in the laundry basket 😀.
- Reframe your thoughts. Negative thoughts lead to stress and depression. If you struggle with depression, your automatic thoughts may tend to be unhelpful. One unhelpful thought process is Black and White thinking where you see things as only one end of the spectrum or the other. Overgeneralizing is where you expect something that has happened once or twice to be the status quo. Catastrophising is where you think of the worst case scenario when things happen. When you are tempted to think with a deficit mindset, stop, and remind yourself to reframe your thinking from negative to positive. Think in terms of “can’t” to “can” and “what if” the worst case scenario to “what if” the best case scenario happens.
It is important that you know you are not alone in these feelings. If you or someone you know wrestles seasonal depression, we encourage you to reach out to us at Tx Harmony Counseling by clicking HERE. Our therapists will walk alongside you on your journey to a happier, healthy you!
