Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Tips: Help for SAD

Tanya J. Peterson

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Tips: Help for SAD
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With seasonal affective disorder, you don’t have to resign yourself to another winter of depression. Use these tips to boost your mood and overall mental health.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Tips: Help for SAD

Autumn is deepening, and for many that means the return of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a mood disorder that can be triggered by the lower light of autumn and winter. It can cause depression symptoms like low or persistently sad mood, fatigue, loss of interest in doing anything, weight changes, and a change in sleeping patterns.

You don’t have to resign yourself to another winter of depression. Use these tips to boost your mood and overall mental health:

Use a light box daily. Light boxes can maintain your natural circadian rhythm and affect hormone activity to keep your mood, energy, appetite, and sleep at your typical levels. While considered safe for many, they’re not recommended for people with certain medical and mental health conditions. Check with your doctor before starting a lightbox routine.
Begin or increase a meditation practice. Meditation has been shown in studies to help with depression (NICCH, 2016).
Create a list of healthy meals and stock up on easy, nutritious staples like rice, beans, and frozen vegetables and fruit. SAD can make it hard to deal with meals and eating, and being prepared can help.
Develop a list of activities like yoga, puzzles, and reading to make it easier to do things when SAD zaps your motivation.

Seasonal affective disorder creates changes in your brain and body. These tips for dealing with SAD can help put you in charge of your biology so you can minimize SAD this year.

Source:

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NICCH). (2016, April). Meditation: In depth. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Retrieved from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-in-depth

A Family Full of Addicts - Facebook Live

"Drug use has destroyed our lives." Sean, his wife, and their extended family members - they're all addicts. Now he's worried about what that may mean for his two children.

In this Facebook Live video, we talk to Sean about how the cycle of addiction from generation-to-generation has affected his family. Then, we bring on therapist Jason Lynch, MS, LMHCA, LCACA, ADS, CCTP to speak more on that topic.

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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

Ways to Cope with Anxiety During COVID-19

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed. This month is National Suicide Prevention Month. See what our bloggers are talking about.

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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