Canadian Psychological Association,<\/a> 15 per cent report they\u2019ve had at least mild symptoms of SAD throughout their lives. Symptoms of this condition are similar to those of depression\u2014intense fatigue, changes in appetite, loss of interest in activities, hobbies and loved ones, irritability, hopelessness, etc.\u2014but usually appear only during a certain time of the year, usually fall and winter.\u00a0<\/p>\nWhile these symptoms might appear similar to winter blues, Ahmad says SAD symptoms are more permanent, and it is important for people to watch out for this difference in order to seek appropriate help.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very clear change in their mental well-being, and a very sort of persistent and chronic one as well,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we assume, for instance, that it\u2019s winter blues and it\u2019ll just go away when it\u2019s actually seasonal affective disorder, then people won\u2019t seek treatment. So, that\u2019s what\u2019s really key and why it\u2019s important to know when to seek the right help.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
HOW TO DEAL WITH WINTER BLUES, SAD<\/p>\n
Ahmad says that tools to cope with SAD and winter blues are often similar and may vary from person to person. However, in cases of SAD, it is important to look for specialized professional help.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[With] Seasonal affective disorder\u2026 it is important to get an assessment and then to get treatment with a professional who\u2019s trained in working with seasonal affective disorder,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, when people assume that it\u2019s seasonal affective disorder versus winter blues, again, it leads to people having misinformation and may contribute to feeling a lot more unmotivated or hopeless about change.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, there are some tools that can help manage symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Firstly, the psychologist says winter blues symptoms are most common closer to when the clock first changes, and often lessen over time. For that reason, she says it is important to give our bodies time to adjust to the new clocks, which might take a few weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the meantime, Ahmad says it is equally important to create a healthy routine, to ensure that you are getting enough rest, but also keeping your day flowing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With darker days, the psychologist says it is also helpful to surround yourself with more light, throughout the day, including natural and artificial lights, signalling to your body that it is time to be active.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLight does impact our neurotransmitters in our brain, so it\u2019s definitely worth trying and looking at making sure that you have a certain amount of light, 10,000 lux is apparently a good amount at minimum to have,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay someone gets up very early, before sunrise, or just shortly around that time, and there\u2019s not enough daylight to actually have light at home. [They can] increase the light for their body so it helps them be more alert.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although it might be difficult to get out of bed early and face the cold to go to the gym, stroll around or go running, Ahmad says that exercising, especially in the morning, is also key to waking up our bodies and improving our moods.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contrary to the summertime, when the city seems to light up with social events and gatherings, things can slow down in the winter, but Ahmad says it is also important to go outside, make plans with your loved ones, and maintain a healthy diet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people have low moods and they don\u2019t feel so good, they\u2019re decreasing contact with friends and family, and they may also be decreasing their appetite\u2026So, it\u2019s important for them to make an intentional effort to socialize, keep up social contacts, and also to eat well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although having less exposure to the sun might reduce our production of vitamin D, the psychologist warns that taking supplementary vitamins without a prescription might bring adverse effects, and advises them to look for testing and consultation with a physician if they feel the need to do so.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the days get shorter and darker, many might feel more tired and less motivated. Here are some…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,114710,84,393,394,8864,101462],"class_list":{"0":"post-273292","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-daylight-savings","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-mental-health","13":"tag-mentalhealth","14":"tag-winter","15":"tag-winter-blues"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273292","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=273292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}