Seasonal Affective Disorder
Using supplements (for example St Johns Wort) is one way of alleviating the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (“SAD”). It is not the whole story and some people are unhappy about taking supplements. St Johns Wort in particular can cause problems if taken in conjunction with some prescription medications (particularly for heart conditions), and medical practitoners advise against it in such circumstances.
There are numerous ways to avoid supplements in addressing the symptoms of SAD:
Specific Foods
Several foods are especially helpful in stimulating directly or indirectly, the levels of seratonin, norepinephrine, GABA, acetylcholine and other neurotransmitters in the brain. These foods include carbohydrates, brown rice, cottage cheese, peanuts, pumpkin and sesame seeds, fish and algae, wheatgerm and wheat bran, eggs, turkey, ham, milk, cheese, and green vegetables (especially leafy greens).
These are all part of a normal balanced diet anyway, but you may consider how balanced your diet actually is, and adjust it to help with the winter blues.
Therapy Ideas
Light
Light therapy – natural and artificial – is often suggested as a cure for SAD. Obtaining extra sunlight on those relatively sunny winter days is not always easy (unless you live in high mountains with lots of snow refelction). A daylight box can help with that. The light need to be close to that of the sun in ‘colour temperature’. You should look for one with a colour temperature of about 5500 to 6500 degrees K – it should be quoted in sales literature.
When at home, position your chair so that it faces a south facing window if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, vice versa in the Southern Hemisphere.
Winter Holidays
Try to escape for a winter sunshine holiday. This can be of major help. It gives you something to look forward to and plan. Try to avoid too much east-west travel though, as the cause of jet lag is closely linked to those of SAD. If you live in Europe, the Canaries is a good destination, or even South Africa. For those in the US you have the Caribbean, Central America and Brazil. Aim for the Tropics.
Exercise
Besides its obvious benefits to heart and lungs, exercise releases endorphins in the brain, a feel-good chemical. Cycling, walking and running get you out of doors and into the daylight. Maybe some light stretching exercises in the morning before breakfast to get the circulation going.
Music and Dancing
Build a list of music which cheers you up and play your list regularly. It’s easy with tools such as Spotify to build a happy playlist. If it makes you want to dance, so much the better – that’s exercise too. I love Brazilian music and play my list regularly.
Laughter
It’s very therapeutic to laugh, especially to enjoy a good belly laugh with other people – it is infectious. Do you have any DVDs that make you laugh? Play them whilst you are doing something else at the time you can hear the soundtrack and laugh – it will release endorphins in the brain – more ‘feelgood’. Buy a set of your favourite comedy series, and play them regularly. I keep a joke book handy, and of course, friends send me ‘funnies’ in emails which I always open and usually forward.
Cut Down on Alcohol
This is not a popular idea, but it does help. Alcohol is a depressant, and it is a good idea to reduce your intake during the SAD season. It will help improve you shape too and that will make you feel better about yourself.
Daily Life – Keep Busy
Thoughts can turn inward if you have too much time on your hands – not always a good thing if you spend a lot of time on your own. So, keep yourself busy, and try to build extra socialising into your week – maybe join a dance or exercise class, go to a comedy club and laugh.
These are a just a few of the ideas that I use in managing my own condition. It is not always easy to jump out of bed in the morning and start working out, I know. Try to plan five of these items into every day, and then feel good about yourself if you achieve three of them.
Don’t forget to check that your diet is in balance. Too much pizza? Next time, pick a Pizza Capricciosa – anchovy and eggs – that’s a real tonic!