Here’s 10 more way to beat the winter blues to help make the winter months enjoyable or at least tolerable.

1. treat yourself - Instead of locking yourself away and doing nothing, treat yourself to a day at the spa, night out with friends or even purchase something entertaining for the house.
2. embrace winter – there are so many wonderful winter activities. Dress properly and get outside to enjoy some skating, skiing, snow hikes, snowshoeing, snowman or snow fort building. Winter was fun as a kid, why not now?
3. sad light therapy – if you aren’t getting the proper amount of sunlight there are sad light therapies that really make a difference.
4. attitude & gratitude - think positive and stop complaining. Attitude is everything and can be amplified if you are grateful for the things you have. After all, if you are reading this, it’s likely you are in the top 15% of the worlds richest (don’t believe me, try it). You are lucky. It’s perspective.
5. find a support group – there are many support groups and resources to help with your depression, both online and off. Connecting with others by sharing your issues is a great way to understand your issues and learn that you are not alone.
6. volunteer – the added benefit of volunteering is the help you are giving your community, connections you are making and skills you are learning.
7. music – listen to more lively and uplifting music, we tend to gravitate to music that fits our mood, so our choices when we are down can be melancholy and less up beat. Step it up a notch and change things around.
8. comfort – create a nice environment in your home, read a nice book and stay warm by the fire
9. acceptance – accept life and the seasons for what they are. Winter is not going away and it will return. Learning to accept the way things are is one of the first steps taught in most “life courses” to teach you how to cope.
10. holiday – take a vacation. If you need to get away from it all and have the ability, take a vacation away in the sun. Even a mini get-away in the winter can give you a little more zest for life. Visit with out of town friends or take a drive for the weekend to a nice location away from your home town.

There are so many things you can focus on, instead of your depression and woes. Try to focus on the things you can do, don’t linger on things that are out of your control. And let’s face it, winter is inevitable. Embrace it instead and beat your winter blues.

Do you find yourself sad and anxious in the winter months?

Are you irritable, withdrawn and lack focus or the ability to concentrate?

Does your energy level wain when the sun is in short supply?

Do you feel extremely guilty, hopeless or worthless?

Does your body feel like it’s laden and heavy, as if it’s been hit by a major flu bug?

Do your sleep and eating habits change?

If so, you just may have a seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

It’s a pretty new term, coined in the mid 80′s. The symptoms and disease have been around for an eternity, it was just never documented in a formal and clinical manner that put a term to it. This depressive mood disorder known as seasonal affective disorder creates some, many or all of the following symptoms:

• fatigue, limited energy, low sex drive
• headaches, heavy laden achy body (flu like)
• poor sleep habits (varies from insomnia, trouble getting to sleep or waking up suddenly)
• depression, sadness, anxiety, despair, crying
• irritability, hypersensitivity, mood changes, low motivation
• lack of concentration, indecisiveness, no focus, dullness of the mind “brain fart”
• withdrawn and less social
• poor eating habits often with cravings for carbs and sweets

possible causes of seasonal affective disorder

There is some “gray area” in the cause of seasonal affective disorder but generally it is related to sunlight, vitamin D, diet, genetics and social factors. Here are the main causes that definitely contribute to the disorder:

• lack of vitamin D and poor diet
• brain chemistry – change in serotonin, melatonin or other body chemicals, usually brain specific
• biological clock (circadian rhythm) – body is used to sunlight, winter depletes it
• childhood or other trauma
• family history or people with a personality prone to depression & anxiety
• psychological or social factors
• poor air quality and oxygen levels

who is at risk

Again in the scientific community, the thoughts are varied but the range is 5-10% of the population with another 10-15% suffering fluctuating moods.

That’s one in 4 people.

There is a higher frequency with:

• women
• northern climates
• people with a family history
• sufferers of other depressive disorders
• those aged 15 to 55

note – there is a rarer version that happens in the summer with an increase sex drive, insomnia, anxiety, lack of appetite and agitated moods

complications and results from seasonal affective disorder

If, year after year, you continue to suffer from seasonal affective disorder it can become very debilitating. Sometimes it turns into a full blown depression or bi-polar disorder. Not something anyone wants to go through. Often people turn to suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and problems with work & school. With these problems the emergence of poor relationships and social skills start to develop into strong often set character traits that need a lot of work to eliminate or reverse.

diagnosis and prognosis for seasonal affective disorder

If you have been depressed for 2 seasons in a row, have a history of sad or many of the symptoms listed above it is likely that you are suffering from some form of depression and probably seasonal affective disorder.

The prognosis is almost always good. With the proper resources and treatment seasonal affective disorder can be eliminated or controlled completely. Like many diseases and disorders prevention is always the best cure. Make sure you address your winter blues, don’t just forget about them because they are going away…believe me, they will come back if left untreated.

Next time we will talk about what you can do to treat seasonal affective disorder.

sources

Roxanne Dryden Edwards, MD, What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?, Medicine Net, http://www.medicinenet.com/seasonal_affective_disorder_sad/article.htm

Seasonal Affective Disorder, Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/seasonal-affective-disorder/DS00195

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) topic overview, WebMD, http://www.webmd.com/depression/tc/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-topic-overview

Seasonal Depression (SAD), emedicinehealth, http://www.emedicinehealth.com/seasonal_depression_sad/article_em.htm

Winter can be tough. The sun isn’t shining (it seems to be a lot of gray days where I am this winter in Ontario). This can lead to a winter depression often known as SAD or seasonal affective disorder.

No need to despair. There are so many sure fire ways to beat the winter blues:

1. get outside – go for a walk in the sunlight, just 15 minutes a day is all you need
2. vitamin d – the main source is the sun but it’s important to get your fix of vitamin d with some natural choices too, especially over the winter months.
3. plants – these provide oxygen, remove toxins and create a feeling of summer. Surround yourself with them.
4. extra curricular – find an activity, any activity that you love or want to learn. Take a course, join a group, do something to keep your mind and body occupied.
5. exercise – a good choice for an extra curricular activity is any form of exercise. Exercise helps with depression and health in general. It gives your brain oxygen, gets the endorphins pumping and keeps your immune system healthy
6. abstain – if you drink and smoke try to cut back or abstain for at least some of the winter months. They change your body chemistry and are depressants.
7. wear bright colours – hang around bright colours to increase your mood, dark and dreary will make you feel dark and dreary.
8. food – eat the right foods for depression, not just vitamin d, to increase your resistance and improve your mood. Try to avoid junk foods and sugars.
9. rest – sleep is important for most people but if you are drained of energy try to regulate your pattern, perhaps even take a daily power nap and get to bed a little bit earlier.
10. gratitude – goes a long way. It lifts you up to be thankful for what you have instead focusing on what is not there.

There are hundreds of things that can help with the winter depression (or any depression). Make sure you do just a few of those things every week to combat that awful feeling and compounding effect of the blues.

The winter months are tough for most people.

It’s cold.

We are less active.

The days are shorter.

Fresh food is not as plentiful.

It’s harder to get around with all that rain or snow.

And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. A key factor in eliminating your depression and keeping the winter blues under control is your diet. Not only reducing the intake of junk food, but maintaining a healthy balance of exercise, nutrition and vitamins is the best way to start.

As a follow up to last week, where I shared an article on beating the winter blues with high dose vitamin d therapy, I’d like to take the time to share with you some thoughts on how to get your daily intake.

Vitamin D is an excellent “tool” to combat seasonal affective disorder and other forms of depression. Partly, because one of the main sources is from sunlight which is in short supply during the winter. It also promotes:

• calcium absorption to help your bones
• encourages cell growth
• boosts your immune system
• reduces inflammation

Unfortunately, there are very few natural food sources with vitamin D but many foods are fortified with it and supplements are available too.

There are many ways to get a dose of vitamin D during the winter.

1. get outside – by far this is the best medicine. Just a few minutes (5-15) every day will not pose a UV risk and even under cloud cover will give you a decent dose well above daily requirements.
2. light therapy – if you can’t get outside I’ve enjoyed great success with light therapy for depression.
3. fish & seafood – you’ve heard it before. While not everybody is a fan (fortunately I love it), it’s a great source of a seemingly endless list of health benefits. Try to find a few things you enjoy and integrate them into your diet at least a couple times a week (cod liver oil, salmon, flaked light tuna, sole, flounder, swordfish, sardines, trout, mackerel are all excellent sources). There are other health and environmental concerns when consuming from our oceans. Take a look at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, considered a leading authority on ocean sustainability and protection
4. fortified foods – milk, yogurt, orange juice, kefir, cottage cheese, goat’s milk, ricotta cheese to name a few
5. beef liver – for those non vegetarians, beef liver can really give you a pick me up and provide iron and other minerals too.
6. eggs – the yolks are a strong source
7. mushrooms (especially shitake) – an interesting note is mushrooms exposed to sunlight are one of the best sources
8. supplements – I’m not a fan of vitamins and supplements, since your body uses these differently than a natural alternative. In moderation, or for seasonal use they can certainly increase your dose of any need vitamin, mineral or nutritional need. Always look for a natural alternative first.

how much do you need

Most sources put acceptable levels in a range of 1000 to 4000 (IU) international units daily for adults under 70 years of age. An increase above 4000 (IU) for those with depression type disorders or over 70 is generally acceptable. This should be controlled and perhaps limited to the winter months. A doctor should be consulted to confirm or discuss any risks.

To give you an idea of how much vitamin D the sun gives you – if you spend about 1 hour in the sun (which is a UV risk factor) you will get 10,000 to 20,000 (IU), so less than 15 minutes will give you your daily dose although that was with more skin exposure than winter might allow.

Getting outside for that sun has the benefit of cheering you up a bit. It gets your cardio going with an increase of oxygen to your brain and body. It also helps you interact and have a visit with nature. All things that can boost your “mental system” when it needs a pick me up.

The winter can be quite an obstacle for some people to cope with but with the right changes to your nutritional habits and a conscious effort to moderate or increase your vitamin D intake you can make the journey comfortable and enjoy the other things winter and life has to offer.

sources

Katherine Harmon, Recommended Daily Vitamin D Intake Gets a Boost, Scientific American, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=recommended-daily-vitamin (November 30, 2010)

Vitamin D, Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind/DSECTION=dosing

Michael F. Holick, Vitamin D and Health in the 21st Century: Bone and Beyond, Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, http://www.ajcn.org/content/80/6/1678S.long

First and foremost. Happy New Year. I’m a little late and excited to be back.

I’m hoping to post more than once a week as a permanent thing this year. One quick article and one with a bit detail. My focus for the next couple months will be depression and fatigue.

This time of year is hard for many of us, especially those that suffer from depression or seasonal affective disorder (a.k.a. SAD). Truthfully, my energy has been very low and it has taken an extra week to get back in the swing of writing. Fortunately, I am not sad or depressed, only fatigued. That’s probably from all the visiting and poor eating habits over the holidays.

There are many things you can do to beat the winter blues. Diet, exercise and light (vitamin D) should be your primary focus.

A friend sent me an article just after the holidays. A very nice gesture. It shows people listen. They care. It discussed the benefits of vitamin D and how “overloading on them” has eliminated this persons depression. Interesting. (DO NOT DO THIS WITHOUT GUIDANCE FROM YOUR DOCTOR). While I certainly try to get extra fish and vitamin D in foods, especially over the winter I am not going to take supplements or go too crazy with this simply because I have found a relatively good balance of diet and am living on a tight budget.

Here’s the article: High Dose Vitamin D Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D)

Hope you enjoy it. More on vitamins and foods later. Next week I will recap some past articles and external resources available to help you battle your winter blues.

Another year has come and gone. I’m pleased with the growth. Mine and the growth at cope with life. I’ve got a good foundation to help more people in the new year and know that I’ve already helped some this year. I’m looking at making a much greater impact next year with more focus, motivation, desire and effort. Your support and participation will be appreciated.

In the meantime, I wish all of you a very happy holiday season.  Enjoy your festivities, play safe and be well. You can see my regular seasonal message over at simply stephen and introduce yourself to a greener, more frugal way of life.

This will be my last post until early January…until then. Peace.