Got Fall And Winter Blues? Don't Get SAD, But If You Do, Here Are 5 Ways To Get To The Other Side

SAD--seasonal affective disorder--is a cyclical kind of depression that typically produces depression in the fall and winter seasons, and non-depression in the spring and summer. 

Here are some of the key symptoms:

• Nausea
• Tendency to oversleep and over eat, especially a craving for carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain. 
• Lack of energy
• Difficulty concentrating on or completing tasks
• Withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities
• Decreased sex drive.

These symptoms can increase one's sense of hopelessness and despair, a vicious cycle that can lead one deeper in depression.

What are some ways you can cope with SAD? First off, if you are suffering from depression in a way that is seriously compromising your ability to function on a daily basis, fulfill your responsibilities at work, and causing rifts between you and your family and friends, it'll be important for you to seek the counsel of a psychologist. If you've been through it before, and it's somewhat manageable, here are some ways you can remedy it:

1. Get lots of natural light: We know that workplaces can be harmful to your health, partly by not providing enough natural light. You have to get as much natural light as possible: open your blinds (even if you don't feel like it), get outside, sit by windows as much as possible. 

2. Do things you enjoy: If you can, take some of your vacation time during the winter and do something you love--if it's somewhere warm and sunny, then even better. 

3. Eat well: Ravaging that greasy bag of burgers and fries and chasing it with a milk shake the size of a bathtub is not going to remedy your depression. You've got to change your eating habits: more whole foods (greens, fruits, etc.), juicing with vegetables and ginger root, snacking on things like nuts and dried fruits. A little chocolate will lift your spirits also. 

4. Supplements: This can be a bit tricky, but vitamin D is very important to take during the winter months, simply because your body is not getting enough sunlight. 

5. Friends and Community: One of the symptoms of SAD is withdrawing from friends and loved ones; however, those are the people who will support you the most. Sometimes sitting with a trusted friend or loved one and sharing your pain can be therapeutic. 

Depression is bad news; and unfortunately our fast-paced disconnected world can make it worse. But there is so much hope: finding a good therapist, hanging with good friends and family, getting lots of light and exercise, and eating well can help you get through to the other side.