Living Well With Seasonal Affective Disorder

Dr. Mel Tavares

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) impacts more than 10 million Americans, according to Boston University, and women are four times more likely to be impacted than men. Implementing coping strategies can significantly lessen the impact on a person’s overall mental health and well-being.

While most people associate SAD with the winter months, the truth is that the changing of any season can trigger symptoms. This is especially true when summer draws to a close and the sun begins to set earlier in the day. Less daylight can cause feelings of sadness, sluggishness, and generalized depression. While only some are impacted to the degree of being diagnosed, the majority of people experience at least some level of struggle with seasonal changes.

Genesis 8:22 (ESV) says “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Our Creator God set in motion the changes that will remain. Thankfully, He also gives wisdom on how to cope with the changes.

We live in a world where we are inside a majority of our waking hours, often in indirect lighting. If you work in a space with no windows, like I do, your only light source is artificial. It isn’t enough. The less light there is, the higher the probability of experiencing significant symptoms. The catch twenty-two is created when depression sets in, whether clinical or generalized, a person tends to stay in darkened rooms which only serve to worsen the situation.

Medical treatment includes prescribing light boxes, which radiate enough light to lesson symptoms if used once or twice daily. A medically prescribed light box is one option. Another option to ward off the impact of SAD is to intentionally be outside in the sunlight for several hours a day. If nothing else, being outside mid-day for at least 30 minutes (lunch break?) provides the Vitamin D your body needs to function well and maintain a higher immune system.

I drink my coffee and have my quiet time in the morning most days, even in the winter. When I get home from work, I go back outside. Those of you living in a warmer climate are blessed to not have to bundle up as much as I do, living here in the Northeast. Sometimes I have to force myself to put on my wool jacket and just go sit in the fresh air and sunshine, because I know how important it is for my mental and physical health.

Watch out for carb cravings as the seasons shift. I struggle in this area of life! It’s like a switch is flipped when September 1st rolls around. Suddenly, I want all things carbs. Pasta, pizza, bread, potatoes, winter squash, and all manner of junk food.

Staving off carb cravings can be helped by ensuring you exercise daily, get your sunlight, and sleep (only) 8-9 hours a night. Keep yourself active and find healthy alternatives. For example, I have stocked Keto breads and desserts in my pantry. Personally, sweet potatoes, eaten in moderation, go a long ways to staving off my cravings. Find foods that will satisfy you without adding pounds and sabotaging your health.

Beyond diet, sleep, exercise, and getting outside is the need to stay connected with other people. Symptoms such as sluggishness, depression, and general fatigue automatically lead to a tendency to isolate. Living well with Seasonal Affective Disorder must include forcing yourself to attend church, community events, and social opportunities. Feelings are fickle friends and if you aren’t ‘feeling’ up to being with others, do it anyways! The results will be improved mental health and physical well-being.
The Bible is filled with verses that speak to the need to be together, in fellowship with other Christians. It is in fellowship that we give and receive encouragement, trust, understanding, and much more. God created us to walk together, bearing one another’s burdens and spurring each other on as we journey forward in life. When there are practical or spiritual needs, we are there to pray for one another and to meet the needs in a variety of ways. Fight the tendency to isolate and be intentional about being with others.

To summarize, many will struggle with symptoms as seasons change, including as summer fades to fall. Eating healthy, getting daily exercise, spending time outside each day, fellowshipping with other people, and getting the right amount of sleep each night will work together to lessen the impact on your mental and physical health.