A doctor has shared some tips to boost your mood if you have seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
The health term is a type of depression that comes and goes seasonally, which can also be called “winter depression.”
This is because symptoms, such as persistent low mood and feeling sleepier than usual, are more obvious and severe during the winter months.
Celebrity gardener Monty Don, 69, knows all too well about depression, which once got so bad that his long-term wife Sarah told him she would leave him if he didn’t get help.
Speaking on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast last year, she said: ‘I was diagnosed with SAD a long time ago – there’s no doubt that November and December are always the worst for me – I can’t stand them.
“It has a lot to do with the gray, the lack of light and the general feeling of the world just weighing you down and not energy.”
Recalling his wife’s reaction when her moods were at an all-time low, he added: “Sarah said to me, ‘Look, I just can’t take your moods and your black depression anymore, you’ve got to do something about it because if you don’t I can’t live with you – I’ll take the kids and I will go.”
Monty later sought help from a doctor who put him on anti-depressants, but he later weaned them and started using a light box to help transition between seasons.
Monty also finds gardening a good way to lift his mood and spend time with loved ones and dogs.
As temperatures gradually drop and the sun sets earlier, Dr. Dawn Harper has emphasized the importance of getting as much daylight as possible.
In addition, he recommends regular exercise to increase motivation during the winter months, as well as vitamin D supplements.
For those who need extra help, Dr. Harper suggests using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to boost serotonin levels.
However, he cautions that these can take a few weeks to start, so it’s best to talk to your doctor sooner rather than later.
He added: “Remember we usually ask you to wear them for six months, so you need to keep taking them until spring arrives.”
If outdoor activities are not possible, the doctor recommends sitting in front of a lamp for 30-60 minutes every morning.
“They have been shown to help regulate the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle and improve mood and energy levels,” the doctor tells Platinum Magazine.
“For best results, they should be used every day between fall and spring.”
Although your eyes must be open to benefit, it is best to avoid looking directly at the lamp.
Instead, the doctor says, many of his patients sit in front of a lamp while eating breakfast or reading.
