How to deal with seasonal affective disorder
Ever wondered what having your life saved would look like?
This time of year, is possibly the most challenging period for creating and sustaining healthy exercise habits.
Leading symptoms associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or seasonal depression, include:
- feelings of sadness or hopelessness
- fatigue and a tendency to oversleep
- change in appetite leading to weight gain
- irritability and increased sensitivity
- thoughts of suicide
Being in the back half of winter in the great state of Utah. And while we’ve been blessed with record-breaking amounts of snowfall, which is amazing for farmers, skiers, and really everyone who loves being out in the mountains in the Greatest Snow on Earth!
It also brings a few challenges that can attack people’s states of mind throughout the season. Driving anxiety, air quality, to the overwhelming number of cloudy days, it’s harder than ever to literally find the sunshine in life.
Please recognize that on any given day, yourself, a stranger you interact with, or even someone close to you may be going through both physical and emotional struggles that are hard to see.
My friends. You are not going through this alone.
Luckily, as with all seasons in life, this long winter is also temporary.
So why, how, when, and did I mention HOW do I exercise when I feel like staying in bed for the foreseeable future with popcorn, diet coke, and a bingeable series?
Creating a consistent fitness routine and exercising regularly, has amazing benefits for both our physical and mental health.
It can:
- improve your self-esteem and feeling of well-being
- increase your ability to rest better while you sleep
- reduce the frequency and severity of anxiety attacks
Here are three quick ideas that might get you going in a world where right now, going anywhere can sometimes just be too hard.
- Find a local fitness or dance class to join. Spinning, Yoga, Martial Arts, Zumba, or even Salsa classes can give you a social fix, and keep you active while having fun at the same time!
- Create, or join your own daily fitness challenge. Even something as simple as 10 air squats a day or doing calf raises when you go up the stairs can have long-term positive benefits.
- Take time to breathe. Guided meditations and breathing exercises are in large supply online, start small and find something under 5 minutes that just takes you OUT of the stress. It will still be there when you’re done but take a breath, take a break, and give yourself some much-needed self-care.
Not everything works for everyone, but maybe this gives you some ideas that you might implement in your world today!
And lastly, remember we are all going through STUFF. Be kind to your coworkers, be understanding when differences arise at home, give people the benefit of the doubt, and lend a hand where you can.
You never know when this will save a life.
