By AliJane Robel
As the warm sunny weather leaves us many people may start get a case of the “winter blues”. What they probably don’t know is that it my not be as simple as that. Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as seasonal depression often goes unheard of or ignored, but not only is it very real, but it can also be very serious.
Symptoms include:
- Feeling depressed more often
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed,
- Having low energy
- Having problems with sleeping
- Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
- Feeling sluggish or agitated
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Feeling hopelessWe sat down with Ms. Sacs to find some ways to help prevent these symptoms.
“I’m not so sure it necessarily can entirely be prevented but there are definitely a lot of things that will alleviate some of the symptoms somebody might be having. So, for example you have a lack of vitamin D (coming from the sunlight) because we have less of it during the winter months. So one of the kind of the neat things I actually use at home is light therapy. So that stimulates vitamin D, so that helps us as far as creating serotonin in our brains, things that make us feel calm, things that make us feel happy. Sometimes if you have low vitamin D you can go to the doctor, and there are supplements for that as well. That’s something the will help with the energy and sluggishness and things like that. Exercise is an excellent thing for all sorts of mental health things, whether is seasonal or otherwise. Like depressions and anxieties etc. exercise is an excellent, excellent coping skill for that.”
How do you help prevent symptoms like this while you’re in school?
“I would say given the fake lights in here, exercise if it’s feasible to just even get up if you’re able to excuse yourself for a minute and go for a walk and kind of wake yourself up a little bit and also eating healthy that’s also going to help with energy as well.”