10 Best Self-Help Tips for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a type of depression that manifests itself at a specific time of year. It is observed that this usually occurs during winter when days are shorter resulting in less daylight and hence resulting in low energy, difficulty in concentration, fluctuations in sleep patterns, and feelings of hopelessness. And if you’re someone who’s looking for ways to beat seasonal depression, we’ve outlined ten seasonal depression tips to help you alleviate the symptoms and your overall well-being.

1. Maximize Exposure to Natural Light

So, it’s been found that one of the major triggers for the condition is the lack of sunlight during the winter. One of the tips for seasonal affective disorder is that you should try to spend as much time as possible outdoors during daylight; even on cloudy days, a hint of natural light can be beneficial. 

And when you’re inside your home, we’d advise you to open curtains and blinds to let in as much light as possible. Additionally, rearranging your workspace or home to be closer to windows or balconies is an effective seasonal depression tip.

Furthermore, if your schedule allows, you can also take a walk during your lunch break or engage in outdoor activities over the weekend. All in all, we are trying to emphasise the importance of natural light because it is indeed one of the best winter depression tips.

2. Light Therapy

Building up on the first tip for seasonal affective disorder; if you’re unable to find natural sources of light then sitting near a light box that mimics natural sunlight might be a good way to beat seasonal depression. These boxes emit a bright light (typically around 10.000 lux) and are supposed to be used for 20-30 minutes every morning.

What this does is it regulates your circadian rhythm and elevates your mood to a whole new level. But you should consult a healthcare professional before starting the therapy to ensure that this winter depression suits you.

Also, it’s important to make use of the tip for seasonal affective disorder involving lightbox correctly by positioning it at a proper distance to maximise the effects because balancing the details right is very crucial for any endeavour, then be it therapy or anything else.

3. Exercise Regularly

The third tip for seasonal affective disorder is irreplaceable. No matter what chronic illness you might have, a good bit of moving around, be it your body or weight, helps a lot. Not only does it boost your dopamine levels but it also regulates your hypothalamus.

Apart from the benefit of this seasonal depression tip, exercise also releases endorphins, which are a natural mood lifter. You need not exercise a lot, only 30 minutes a day to see the results coming. Remember it is more about relaxing than bodybuilding.

Also when you sweat, the toxins that might have been seeped into your bloodstream start to wash away and this happens only for perspiration through activity, not so much for sedentary sweating, a good way to beat seasonal depression.

4. Maintain a Healthy Diet

Now, speaking of exercise as a tip for seasonal affective disorder, we feel, we can’t be missing the importance of eating healthy. A balanced diet that’s rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats can significantly reduce the risk of experiencing SAD.

And addition to this winter depression tip, you should be reducing the amount of sugar you intake because it just spikes your insulin artificially and too much of it can easily double down as obesity, further worsening the condition.

Also, having complex carbohydrates can also be one of the tips for seasonal affective disorder because they help you stabilise your blood sugar levels and give you sustained energy. And lastly, remember to have plenty of water, but also do not drink excessive amounts of it.

5. Establish a Routine

As the next seasonal depression tip, we’d suggest that you set up a regular routine to provide you with structure and stability, which is particularly important during darker months, cause it’s easy to wrap yourself inside a blanket and stay there when it’s cold outside. 

Also, remember that this tip for seasonal affective disorder should not be too overwhelming at first because then you’ll not stick to it for long given the amount of effort you need to make just to get started. 

Ideally, this way to beat seasonal depression should incorporate waking up early, meditating, exercising, and listening to your favourite music as well. Do what you love but also know when to stop. Careful indulgence is the key.

6. Stay Connected

Now, let’s talk about something that can exaggerate the SAD symptoms - social isolation. Since we humans are social animals, staying detached from people will eventually result in an increased amount of cortisol in the brain due to having very few people to share your stress with.

And there is no hard and fast rule that you need to be a Casanova, all you need is a healthy conversation to feel energised. Following this tip for seasonal affective disorder will reduce the chances of you overestimating your problems and underestimating your potential.

However, as a winter depression tip, we’d also advise you not to be a people pleaser in the process, this will make you lose self-respect and lose the connections too, in the long run. Again, here to a balance is what you need to strive for.

7. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation

So, this tip for seasonal affective disorder is easily one of the most important of all. You see, learning how to make your mind still is a quality very few can master but if you learn how to do it in style, you can not only be free from anxiety but also rid yourself of confusion.

And a body that doesn’t have to battle with meaningless stresses and confusion performs well biologically. Also, meditation as a seasonal depression tip might also help you tap into the root cause of the condition; who knows it might not be the one you’ve imagined.

Now, precautions must be taken so that you don’t hallucinate in your imagination. We’d advise you to journal your thoughts that crossed your mind when you were meditating; this way you’ll start to understand the real reason for SAD. This tip for seasonal affective disorder does the same for your other daily problems too.

8. Consider Aromatherapy

Okay, this tip for seasonal affective disorder might be new to you. However, the use of essential oils to promote mental and emotional well-being has been going on for some time now. It’s usually advised to use scents like lavender, chamomile, and bergamot because they have calming properties and can help alleviate anxiety and improve mood.

You can use the oils in a diffuser, add them to a bath, or even apply them topically (usually diluted with a carrier oil). Also, you must ensure that you only use high-quality oils for your healing purposes.

Using aromatherapy daily can be a good way to beat seasonal depression. And not only that this practice is sure to raise your consciousness to a different level; slowly but surely.

9. Engage in Enjoyable Activities

You see, joy is an integral part of life and cutting that down can impact your well-being gravely. It’s important to win and achieve but it’s also important to celebrate that victory. And as a tip for seasonal affective disorder, we’d advise you to engage in celebrations that can be of any sort; singing, dancing, painting, and so on.

The point of this tip for seasonal affective disorder is to do stuff that you like, not that which is cool to do or which is trending. For some time, you might enjoy what you’re doing but after some point, you’ll hit exhaustion because that’s not what you wanted.

Additionally, as a way to beat seasonal depression, engaging in any activity that distracts you from negative thoughts is a good idea. You can watch your favourite TV show, movie, reality show, and so on. All in all, the point is to celebrate and relax.

10. Seek Professional Help

Lastly, we’d like to say that if your SAD symptoms are severe and don’t improve with time then it’s crucial for you to seek professional help. A mental health professional can provide therapy, such as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which has been shown to be effective for SAD.

In some cases, medication may be prescribed to help manage symptoms and in some cases light therapy. Apart from this tip for seasonal affective disorder, there are other methods also but they will be prescribed to you according to the doctor’s expertise and your needs.

But in case of severity, the gravity of the situation must not be ignored and dealt with with utmost seriousness because you never know when the condition might spill into some other areas of your life.

Seasonal Affective Disorder can be challenging but the beauty of challenging stuff is the trilll in overcoming them. And luckily overcoming it is not that tricky, the tips for seasonal affective disorder are outlined for you. You just need to act with determination. Remember the biggest project you’ll ever work on is yourself. And if that’s pumped you up then read our blog on Best Healthcare Apps For Students. All the best!