My family has a long history of clinical depression. I see everyday what depression can do to individuals and their families.
I also see how hard it is to live with depressed person who refuses to ask for help and take medications. My own father suffers from clinical depression as does his older brother. Their mother died lonely and depressed woman because she refused help and drove everybody away. It was sad for me to watch my grandma suffer and it is sad to watch my dad making the same mistakes.The only thing my father has going for him is my loving and supportive mother.
My sister was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder few years ago. So depression will always be part of my life. It’s sad, but that’s reality and it’s up to me to take control of my life.
I am not clinically depressed , but I have tendencies towards depression. Especially during winter. Winter depression affects so many people around the country.
Winter depression also know as Winter Blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a mood disorder that affects many people with normal mental health. It’s caused by the hormonal imbalance due to less natural light, sun and lower temperatures.
I personally start feeling the strong affects of winter blues or seasonal affective disorder in January. I noticed lots of people around me feel the same way. Some have stronger symptoms of winter depression and some have minimal symptoms of winter depression, but it’s there.
In January the days are shorter and darker, sun is minimal, weather is cold and when you look outside the window everything is gray and sad looking (in many parts of the country).
The holiday cheer is all gone. Last visitors has left. Parties are over. The holiday credit card bills (for lots of people) start showing up…and the economy still sucks. It’s a sad, sad situation so no wonder we are depressed.
I’ve been noticing last few years that my levels of winter depression are getting higher and the winter blues are taking over.
I decided to do a little research on Seasonal Affective Disorder and on beating the Winter Blues.
There are many natural ways we can use to beat the winter blues and be free from this temporary depression.
I started following 5 simple tips for beating The Winter Blues. I am here to tell you that this is the best January I had in many years.
5 Tips for Beating The Winter Blues:
- Bright and Cheery Home – after all holiday decorations are gone many homes look very plain and sad. It’s time to bring some vibrant and warm colors in shades of yellow, red and orange. Brightly colored bedding, tablecloth, throw cushions or even new curtain accents will do wonders for symptoms of depression. These days fresh spring flowers are available in local stores in January. Pick up a bouquet of bright yellow daffodils or red tulips once a week. Make sure all your light fixtures have bright light bulbs in them. Keep the blinds open. Get as much natural light as you can into your home.
- Get Your Sleep – most of us survive on 5-6 hours of sleep during the year, but come winter it’s very important to get 7-8 hours of sleep. Two of the symptoms of winter depression are fatigue and craving sugar and starchy foods and that comes from not having enough rest.
- Exercise – it’s important to be active all the time, but for depressed people exercise is a must. Go outside as much as you can. Take your family skating, skiing, sledding or for a walk in a nature. To beat winter blues make sure you get 30 minutes of exercise 3 to 4 days a week.
- Eat Healthy and Take Vitamins – eating healthy and well balance diet is very important during winter depression especially after indulging in rich foods during the holidays.Taking vitamin D and C supplements is also very important as most of us don’t get enough in our daily diet.
- Social Interaction – after the holidays we have tendency to keep to ourselves and take a break from socializing. Don’t! Depression hits when we are left alone with our thoughts especially when we already caught the Winter Blues bug. Get together with your family and friend. Watch funny movies, have a game night…do something that will make you happy.
Do you or anybody you know suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder or Winter Blues?
Are there other things that help you to deal with winter depression?
