Summary

The article discusses personal strategies for coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and its impact on the author's life.

Abstract

The author, an extroverted individual, experiences a stark contrast in mood and energy levels with the onset of winter, which they attribute to seasonal depression. They describe the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as including depression, loss of interest in activities, low energy, sleep disturbances, appetite changes, and difficulty concentrating. The author finds solace in sunlight and warm weather, which are scarce during the Chicago winters, and also suffers from psoriasis, exacerbated by cold weather. To combat SAD, the author has taken proactive steps such as stocking up on Vitamin D supplements and maintaining an active lifestyle through home workouts. They emphasize the importance of sunlight to their well-being and express hope for the spring as a means to escape the gloom of winter. The article concludes with practical advice for others struggling with SAD, advocating for self-care and community support to alleviate the seasonal blues.

Opinions

The author believes that their extroverted personality is at odds with the lethargy and mood changes brought on by SAD.
They express a strong preference for living in a location with warmer weather and more sunlight, suggesting that their current environment in Chicago is a significant contributing factor to their

How to Deal With Seasonal Depression

This yearly battle doesn’t control my life because I don’t allow it to anymore

As someone who is incredibly extroverted and full of energy, I completely shut-down in the winter. It’s a drastic change where I’m living life to the absolute fullest, and then suddenly dreading every day.

This past week, we had about five days of constant rain, gray, cloudy skies, and I was depressed. I didn’t realize why until I looked at the forecast and realized I hadn’t gotten any sunlight and the weather was so low. This was one of the first signs of my seasonal depression kicking in. It was a warning sign.

According to Mayoclinic, Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year.

If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

Signs and symptoms of SAD may include:

Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
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 hopeless, worthless or guilty
Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide

When I’m not in SAD

I am a spring and summer type of guy who thrives off the sunlight and having plenty of things to do during the daytime. But you can’t do that when it starts to get cold outside, and the snow starts making your everyday tasks a bit harder.

I also deal with an unfortunate skin disease called Psoriasis, which only comes up in the wintertime when it’s insanely cold, so I’m not looking forward to that much either. For me, my seasonal depression is not something I look forward to or even realize that I’m in until I’m in it.

Being deployed overseas changed my entire mindset on where I want to live in the future, and I know it’s not here in Chicago. That’s because the winters are too drastically cold for me, and the summers here are humid beyond belief. I can’t stay here long-term, but for right now, I’m going to make it work.

How to Avoid

To avoid seasonal depression, I have already purchased 150 pills of Vitamin D to have what my body needs, especially when it’s going to be deficient during the winter season. I also have a gym within my house that I’m going to be using to stay active and keep my motivation high.

During the winter, I feel so hopeless, uncreative, and pessimistic. It’s tough for me to look forward to doing anything besides watching football. That’s pretty sad. When I’m deep into the seasonal depression, my eyeballs just become numb to seeing gray cloudy skies every day.

How it Feels

Seasonal depression seems like a bad dream I never wake up from until suddenly its the beginning of spring, and the sun finally starts to come out. That first day of spring is the happiest day of the year for me because I get so much energy from sunlight, and it’s essential to my happiness and many others’ happiness.

There’s no worse feeling than to be hopeless. I’m an optimistic extrovert who has so much love, energy, and positivity to give — but seasonal depression holds me back. It doesn’t allow me to excel in what I want to do. So the next time you catch me writing in the winter, it’s probably going to be a little less hopeful, unless I can dig myself out of the seasonal hole that awaits me.

Takeaway

When it comes to seasonal depression I know it’s only temporary, and for that reason, I keep my hope and optimistic personality alive.

When it gets cold, warm up.

When the sun is lacking, get your vitamin D another way.

When you’re stressed, exercise in your bedroom.

When you think the seasonal depression starts, don’t be alone.

Your future fall and winter seasons won’t be as dreadful.