Now that you’ve reset your clocks and returned to standard time, experts say you may start to notice a difference in your mood and motivation.
Jet lag and cooler weather are major factors in what mental health experts call seasonal affective disorder.
Experts say the key thing for people to do is find alternative ways to expose themselves to light. Because as winter approaches, we will see less light.
But there is more to it than that. It’s not only about how to prepare, but also how to identify when you need to contact a professional for mental health treatment.
Shauntel Marcin, a nurse practitioner, begins helping some of her patients prepare for seasonal depression around the end of October.
Marcin says that actively recognizing the facts can help alleviate the anxiety that arises when your mood and motivation plummet for no apparent reason.
“We don’t have much motivation. People say they feel more tired. They don’t really like doing the things they used to enjoy. So it’s a form of depression that usually occurs intermittently throughout the year,” Marcin said.
The official term is Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Marcin says this is neither a mystery nor something to blame. This happens when less sun is visible between October and February.
“It generally happens more often in women than in men, but you see it across the board, especially in the northern regions and further away from the equator,” Marcin said.
Marcin says everyone is affected differently because hormones such as serotonin and dopamine do not grow and activate normally without sunlight.
Marcin says plenty of rest, exercise, and a healthy diet are good starts, but the most recommended treatment is light therapy.
“You’ll be sitting in front of it for about 30 minutes in the morning. You don’t want to look directly at it, but what it does is it helps mimic the first hour of the sun in the morning, it helps increase your serotonin levels, it helps you start your day, and it helps reduce those sleepy chemicals,” Marcin said.
Marcin recommends purchasing a light with a brightness of 10,000 lumens.
Marcin says a clear sign that you need to seek professional help is when something that normally brings you joy no longer has a chance to make you feel lighter.
