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As autumn deepens, bringing with it shorter days and a noticeable chill, many find their spirits shifting alongside the changing season. <\/p>\n
While some embrace the prospect of cosy evenings indoors, for others, the colder, darker months can herald a period of significant emotional challenge.<\/p>\n
Indeed, the Royal College of Psychiatrists estimates that approximately 3 per cent of UK adults experience “significant winter depression”, medically termed seasonal affective disorder (SAD). <\/p>\n
Beyond clinical diagnoses, GP Rachel Ward notes that seasonal pressures can lead to a general feeling where “people can feel less happy,” regardless of their mental health status.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
open image in gallery<\/p>\n
A lot of focus is put on maintaining your physical health in winter, but what about your mental health? (Getty Images\/iStockphoto)<\/p>\n
The basics matter<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, we can\u2019t fast-forward to spring, but little changes can help bolster wellbeing and mental health. \u201cThere\u2019s so much talk about mental health, and diagnoses are really important, but what is under-talked about is the importance of the simple things,\u201d says Ward. \u201cIf somebody is getting outside, sleeping well, eating well, doing some exercise, moderating their alcohol and getting social interaction with other people, whether that\u2019s in the workplace, their personal life, or doing some volunteering, those things all have such a key role in keeping your mental health in a good place.<\/p>\n
\u201cOften when we [GPs] speak to people, some of those things are really not being looked after. And you cannot underestimate how important they are.\u201d So get to bed on time, take your vitamin D tablets and spend time with people you love.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t hide indoors<\/p>\n
It might seem like there\u2019s barely a scrap of daylight to be had, crucially, \u201ctry to get outside, in the sunlight, as much as possible,\u201d says Ward. \u201cYes, you need to wrap up warm, especially if you are a bit frail, or if you have any lung or heart disease, but you absolutely should still be getting time outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those who have SAD and are really struggling, \u201cyou can use light therapy\u201d says Ward. There is some evidence to suggest that light boxes \u2013 which simulate daylight \u2013 can help boost mood. However, \u201csome people get SAD to an extent that they do need to have things like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and antidepressants, as you would with other mood disorders.\u201d If that is the case, speak to your GP.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Watch your energy levels<\/p>\n
It can be tempting to take to your bed and hibernate until March, but becoming sloth-like won\u2019t help your endorphin or energy levels. \u201cYou can get into a real negative cycle with energy. And I really believe, the less you do, the less energy you have,\u201d warns Ward. \u201cYou need to get over that initial hump and accept that actually, despite it being cold outside, it is still very important to spend time outside and doing exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you feel like you are doing things that really should be boosting your energy levels, and they\u2019re not doing anything, if you\u2019re sleeping an abnormal amount, or you\u2019re feeling physically like you\u2019re struggling to do things, or you\u2019re feeling unusually short of breath, this could be a sign that there\u2019s something more significant underneath,\u201d says Ward. \u201cWhether that might be anaemia [caused by things like iron deficiency, ulcers, fibroids], or it can be the sign of some underlying cancers [from breast to blood].\u201d Speak to your GP.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t completely sink into comfort food<\/p>\n
Roast season is upon us, sticky toffee pudding is on every menu and hearty meals rarely win out over salads when it\u2019s chilly out, but avoid letting your nutrition slide. \u201cWe tend to go towards more stodgy, carb-heavy food,\u201d says Ward. \u201cMaking sure we\u2019re still having lots of vegetables, fruit, colours and variety in our food \u2013 you can still eat seasonally \u2013 is going to keep our vitamins and mineral levels boosted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keep an eye on booze intake<\/p>\n
As we careen towards the festive party season, alcohol can become a staple. \u201cAlcohol is linked to poor sleep, but also it can be a depressant. If you are drinking more frequently, it can have a more persistent effect on your mood,\u201d says Ward.<\/p>\n
She recommends visiting the NHS website<\/a> for drinking guidelines and support. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t drink more than 14 units a week (around six medium glasses of wine, or six pints of 4 percent beer), and you should be spacing that out,\u201d she says. \u201cBe aware of binge drinking and if you think you have got a problem, don\u2019t immediately go from drinking lots to stopping, because you can run into problems. Look for local addiction services and NHS<\/a> support about how to control or stop.\u201d Alcoholics Anonymous<\/a>, for instance, runs meetings across the UK.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Try not to be overwhelmed by family stress<\/p>\n Between Halloween, Christmas and New Year, family gatherings ramp up, and can bring with them gripes, crises and unresolved tensions, which can all contribute to a fractious state of mind. \u201cFamilies<\/a> are so complex, and Christmas can become an incredibly stressful time for people because of family dynamics or family not being there. We see a lot of people around that time with family issues, and people splitting up,\u201d says Ward. \u201cThere are a lot of organisations out there to support you. Samaritans<\/a>, if you\u2019re feeling really low, or Mind<\/a>, is a fantastic organisation.\u201d There\u2019s also Relate<\/a>, and local services too, depending where you live.<\/p>\n When to seek help<\/p>\n Low mood can creep up on you, and it can be hard to tell if it\u2019s just a blip or something to be more concerned about. \u201cIf you have a persistent low mood, so if you\u2019re feeling low in mood every day for more than two weeks, or if you\u2019re not enjoying anything, or if you\u2019re really feeling desperate, that is a sign that this could be something more significant,\u201d says Ward. \u201cWe all have ups and downs in our mood, but if you are feeling really down, don\u2019t overthink it. Find somebody to talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n You can start by talking to your partner, a family member or friend, contact your GP \u2013 you can self-refer on the NHS for mental health support \u2013 or speak to a therapist. If you\u2019re worried you might hurt yourself, call 999.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187015,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,84,393,394],"class_list":{"0":"post-187014","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}