It's that time again. The nights come in sooner, the clocks have gone back the temperature has dropped and maybe you generally start feeling a bit 'meh'. Perhaps your energy has dipped, you might feel lethargic, demotivated. Have you ever considered Seasonal affective disorder or SAD for short?
What is SAD?
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression and is often referred to as 'winter depression' not because its only occurs in winter but tends to be more prominent in winter. That said, SAD episodes can occur at any time of the year and can be recognised by the sufferer when it rears its head at the same time each year.. Some cases of SAD have been recognised to run in families too. SAD can be diagnosed when the episodes repeat for more than two consecutive years at the same time of year.
What are the symptoms?
Feeling low and sad.
No longer enjoying daily activities that you usually enjoy but now cannot be bothered.
Feelings of despair, guilt, worthlessness.
Feeling lethargic.
Sleeping for longer.
Craving comfort foods.
Lack of concentration.
For some people, these symptoms can be severe and have significant impact on their day to day life sometimes for weeks at a time.
What causes SAD?
The exact cause is unknown but the main link appears to be a reduced exposure to sunlight during the shorter autumn and winter months. Sunlight has a huge impact on the brain and is key in the impact of a part of our brain called the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that is responsible for the production of all of our neuro chemicals. A reduced exposure to sunlight affects our production of some very important hormones two in particular:
Melatonin- our sleepy hormone
Seratonin- our happy hormone which also affects appetite and sleep
Add to this that our bodies use sunlight to sync various important functions in the brain and body which impacts our natural circadian rhythm. This rhythm dictates when we sleep and when we wake up so it makes sense that a reduction in sunlight exposure could disrupt this natural body clock and lead to SAD.
How to help relieve symptoms for SAD
There are so many things that we can do, small things we can implement such as getting in as much natural sunlight as possible, exercising and making good nutritional choices along with managing stress levels. It's well documented that our thoughts impact our chemistry, how we think determines how we feel. if you find yourself thinking thoughts of its cold,dark and I cant be bothered try and think about embracing the positives of this time. Get cosy, use this time positively, think all of the good things that this time of year brings it may be as simple as a time to rest and plan, journal and read.
Feed your mind with all of the positive stuff about this time, surround yourself with positive uplifting music, watch heartwarming or inspirational movies or to learn something new. It's a perfect time to fuel your body with healthy comforting nutrition casseroling and soups. Try and find the joy in the small comforts. Plan what you will do when the spring and summer start to arrive, in hypnosis this is called future pacing and its powerful stuff. Planning and prepping, holidays or days out creates visuals within the brain and your happy chemistry will kick in at the very thought of what you are planning. It does not have to be glorious sunshine to impact your mood, 10 minutes of natural light when you wake in the morning, even if its overcast, is enough to shift your circadian rhythms but you cant get this through a window it has to be outside. If the cold puts you off some of my clients have invested in a daylight lamp which replicates natural sunlight.
Hypnosis for SAD
Hypnotherapy can naturally help you out of the winter blues or SAD. Its a safe, effective natural way to improve your perspective on these darker months. With hypnosis and psychotherapy you can really shift your motivation, rewire your thought processes and happiness levels. I work in a solution focused model of hypnotherapy helping you to enjoy this time right now and always facilitating you to move forward and get your mindset unstuck. If you struggle with feeling low and demotivated through the winter months you may be wishing your life away, time is precious and you don't have to spend that time wishing and waiting for summer for things to be good. If you want to know more about hypnosis or generally want to find your happy place my first consultation is free and can be offered online or face to face, my couch is heated and cosy and your mind has the power to take you anywhere you want to go.
Get in touch
If you would like to talk about your low mood or depression then you can contact me by clicking here to book your free consultation. I am a qualified psychotherapist and master hypnotherapist and my practise is a supervised and fully insured practise. If you would like to get in touch visit my website or simply fill out this form.
As a qualified master hypnotherapist I am a member of the National Council for Hypnotherapists. I also treat people for low self esteem anxiety sleep disorders and many other things. #hypnosis #therapy #pschotherapy #fear
Comments