What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
Many of us are affected by the changing seasons. The colder weather and darker evenings can affect our mood, energy levels, sleeping patterns, and appetites. But if this affects your daily life, you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD can affect you at any time of year, although it’s more common in winter. However, some people have symptoms of SAD in summer and feel better in winter.
It’s common to be affected by changing seasons and weather, or to have times of year when you feel more or less comfortable. For example, you might find that your mood or energy levels drop when it gets colder or warmer, or notice changes in your sleeping or eating patterns. But if your feelings are interfering with your everyday life, it could be a sign that you have depression. And if they keep coming back at the same time of year, doctors might call this seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or ‘seasonal depression’. Click here to find out more about Seasonal Affective Disorder from the NHS.
What does Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) feel like?
If you have SAD, you might experience some of the signs and symptoms below. But it’s different for different people, and can vary season to season, so you might also have other kinds of feelings which aren’t listed here:
- Lack of energy
- Difficulty concentrating
- Not wanting to see people
- Feeling sad, low, tearful, guilty or hopeless
- Feeling anxious, angry and agitated
- Being more prone to physical health problems, such as colds, infections or other illnesses
- Sleeping too much, or difficulty waking up (common with SAD in winter)
- Sleeping too little, or waking up a lot (common with SAD in summer)
- Changes in your appetite, for example feeling hungrier or not wanting to eat
- Losing interest in sex or physical contact
- Suicidal feelings
- Other symptoms of depression
Ways to look after yourself
Living with SAD can be difficult, but there are lots of things you can do to help yourself cope. This page has some suggestions for you to consider. It can be difficult to live with SAD, but there are things you can do to help yourself.
- Light, especially natural light, can greatly affect your overall mood. Spend some time each day outside if you can, and open your curtains to let as much light in as possible. Avoid sitting in dark or dimly lit rooms. Use lamps & mirrors to brighten up anywhere that is particularly dark.
- Some people find it helpful to use a lightbox – a special lamp that mimics natural light. Talk to your doctor before using one, especially if you have any eye or skin problems.
- Exercise and spending time in green spaces are helpful for everyone’s mental health. Physical activity can boost your self-esteem and help you concentrate, sleep and feel better.
- Plan for the difficult times. For example, you could freeze meals if you know you won’t have the energy to cook or make sure you have time to relax or get an early night.
- Thinking differently about winter may help. Research shows that reframing how we think about stressful events can help us deal much better with them. Think about the things you enjoy about winter: making comfort food, curling up under a blanket, walking through crunchy leaves or visiting Christmas markets, for example.
Different things work for different people at different times, so if something doesn’t feel possible just now try not to put pressure on yourself. You can always try something else or come back to it another time. For example:
- Talk to someone
- Keep a diary
- Plan for difficult times
- Try peer support
- Learn ways to relax
- Look after your physical health
The Five Ways to Wellbeing are different daily actions which we can complete and have been shown to help improve our overall wellbeing. Click here to find out more and start your daily actions now. If you like the sound of the Five Ways to Wellbeing, but don’t know how to get started, Action for Happiness publish monthly calendars which give you new actions to try out. Click here to find out more on there website where you can check out the calendars, or download the app to get started,
Find out more information about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
There is lots of useful information on the Mind website which can help you to better understand SAD and how you can look after yourself in the changing seasons. Click here to visit the Mind website now. There is also lots of information on the Mental Health Foundation website which you can check out here.
Accessing support if your daily life is affected
Whether or not your depression seems to be seasonal, it’s ok to ask for help at any time. You don’t need to wait to see if there’s a pattern. The first step is usually to visit your GP. If you’re given a diagnosis of SAD, this will be based on your symptoms repeatedly following a seasonal pattern, usually for two or more years. Or if the seasonal pattern isn’t clear yet you can still get help from your GP for symptoms of depression or anxiety.
You can also contact a number local mental health services to discuss available support directly. Click here to find out more about what’s available in your area.
