10 Ways to Combat Seasonal Affective Disorder

By Genomind

As temperatures drop and the days become shorter, you may notice a dip in your mood. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or “winter depression,” is a common mental health problem. In fact, the American Academy of Family Physicians, reports that 4-6 percent of people may have SAD, and another 10-20 percent may have a mild case of SAD.

“SAD can be as debilitating as traditional yearlong anxiety and/or depression,” said clinical psychologist Amanda Rafkin.

SAD often occurs during the winter when lower levels of sunlight may affect the balance of hormones like serotonin and melatonin. Lower levels of these two hormones can negatively impact sleep, mood and overall well-being.

Want to boost your mood during dark winter months? You’re in luck! Here are 10 tips on ways to manage symptoms of SAD.

1. Know the Signs and Symptoms

In order to put a plan of action in place to manage SAD, you need to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of the disorder. Feeling sad or less energized during the winter months are two signs of SAD. Once you realize you are experiencing SAD, you can seek professional help or take measures to help alleviate symptoms.

2. Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise can ease symptoms of depression, especially during the gloomy winter months.

You don’t have to be training for a marathon to enjoy the benefits of exercise, because any type of exercise activates dopamine and serotonin, the “feel good” chemicals in the brain. These chemicals can help fight symptoms of SAD.

Incorporate moderate physical activity, like walking or biking, for 30 minutes a day to get those neurotransmitters going!

3. Stay Connected

One way to fight SAD is by remaining connected to your loved ones and identifying your support network. Being able to communicate with those around you can help create a positive dialogue about ways to combat symptoms of SAD.

“Research shows that those with a larger support network can make behavioral changes easier,” psychotherapist Aimee Bernsteintells said. “Create an agreement with your support network to spend time together doing fun things, especially during the winter months, that will shift your mood and energize you.”

4. Get Enough Light

Try taking in as much sunlight as possible during the winter months. This can be as easy as opening your blinds during the day or getting outside in the morning. Getting a good amount of natural light during the day can help alleviate symptoms of SAD.

When the body absorbs sunlight, it also absorbs vitamin D, which has a number of health benefits. It may be hard to get enough vitamin D in the winter, so taking a supplement during dark winter months may help your overall mental health.

5. Try Light Therapy

The most effective way to combat SAD is with the help of a light therapy box. The box beams artificial light that mimics natural light. Before trying a light therapy box, make sure to speak with your clinician or therapist to see if this form of therapy is right for you.

“The SAD lamp helps regulate your circadian rhythms that get thrown off by days with shorter periods of light. Try using the box first thing in the morning,” said Rafkin.

Rafkin suggests choosing an early, consistent time to wake up every day to get more hours of daylight during winter.

6. Combat Unhealthy Habits

There are a number of ways to cope with symptoms of SAD, but it can be easy to rely on unhealthy coping mechanisms during winter. Activities like drinking or overeating may feel good in the moment, but can lead to feeling more anxious and depressed later on.

7. Write It Out

No matter the season, having a personal journal can be an effective tool to help combat depression. Depression can cause you to lose sight of the positive aspects of your life, but writing your thoughts and feelings down is a good way to keep those positive things in mind.

Rafkin suggests starting each journal entry with three things you’re grateful for, before writing down your emotions for the day.

8. Meditate

Mediation can have a positive impact on your mood because it boosts serotonin levels. Through meditation, you can calm your mind and move your attention away from anxious or negative thoughts.

9. Take a Vacation

If cold, gloomy winter days are getting you down, plan a vacation to a sunny location! Pack a swimsuit, grab a good read and head to a location where you can get all the natural sunlight you need.

Remember, winter won’t last forever and will eventually give way to sunny summer days where you live.

10. Get Professional Help

If you’re feeling especially blue during the winter, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with seeking professional help.

“A counselor can be a great source of emotional support and can help you identify healthy coping strategies to get you through the winter months,” Rafkin said.

Treatment for SAD

According to National Institute of Mental Health, there are four main treatments for SAD: medication, light therapy, psychotherapy and vitamin D. Depending on the person, these treatments can be used together or separately to manage symptoms of the disorder.

Medication: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are often used to treat SAD. Bupropion, another type of antidepressant, has been approved by the FDA for treating SAD, too.
Light Therapy: Since the 1980s, light therapy has been the main treatment for SAD. Light therapy is supposed to replace diminished sunlight during winter with bright, artificial light. To help alleviate symptoms of SAD, it is recommended to sit in front of a light box first thing in the morning on a daily basis.
Psychotherapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be effective for people experiencing SAD. CBT for SAD relies on identifying negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. Behavioral activation is another technique that may be used, which helps the person identify enjoyable activities to improve coping with winter gloom.
Vitamin D: By itself, vitamin D supplementation is not considered an effective SAD treatment. However, people with SAD have been found to have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood, which may be due to insufficient diet or insufficient exposure to sunshine.

Learn more about ways to manage symptoms of SAD here.

Also published on Medium.

Categories: Mental Health News

Conditions: Depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder

Tags: Depression, Genecept Assay, Genomind, Mental Health, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder

5 Signs It’s Time to Seek Therapy

Most people can benefit from therapy at least some point in their lives

David Sack M.D.

Contrary to popular misconception, you don’t have to be “crazy,” desperate or on the brink of a meltdown to go to therapy. At the same time, therapy isn’t usually necessary for every little struggle life throws your way, especially if you have a strong support system of friends and family. So how do you know when it’s time to see a therapist?

Most people can benefit from therapy at least some point in their lives. Sometimes the signs are obvious but at other times, something may feel slightly off and you can’t figure out what it is. So you trudge on, trying to sustain your busy life until it sets in that life has become unmanageable. Before it gets to this point, here are five signs you may need help from a pro:

#1 Feeling sad, angry or otherwise “not yourself.”

Uncontrollable sadness, anger or hopelessness may be signs of a mental health issue that can improve with treatment. If you’re eating or sleepingmore or less than usual, withdrawing from family and friends, or just feeling “off,” talk to someone before serious problems develop that impact your quality of life. If these feelings escalate to the point that you question whether life is worth living or you have thoughts of death or suicide, reach out for help right away.

#2 Abusing drugs, alcohol, food or sex to cope.

When you turn outside yourself to a substance or behavior to help you feel better, your coping skills may need some fine-tuning. If you feel unable to control these behaviors or you can’t stop despite negative consequences in your life, you may be struggling with addictive or compulsive behavior that requires treatment.

#3 You’ve lost someone or something important to you.

Grief can be a long and difficult process to endure without the support of an expert. While not everyone needs counseling during these times, there is no shame in needing a little help to get through the loss of a loved one, a divorce or significant breakup, or the loss of a job, especially if you’ve experienced multiple losses in a short period of time.

#4 Something traumatic has happened.

If you have a history of abuse, neglect or other trauma that you haven’t fully dealt with, or if you find yourself the victim of a crime or accident, chronic illness or some other traumatic event, the earlier you talk to someone, the faster you can learn healthy ways to cope.

#5 You can’t do the things you like to do.

Have you stopped doing the activities you ordinarily enjoy? If so, why? Many people find that painful emotions and experiences keep them from getting out, having fun and meeting new people. This is a red flag that something is amiss in your life.

If you decide that therapy is worth a try, it doesn’t mean you’re in for a lifetime of “head shrinking.” In fact, a 2001 study in the Journal of Counseling Psychology found that most people feel better within seven to 10 visits. In another study, published in 2006 in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88 percent of therapy-goers reported improvements after just one session.

Although severe mental illness may require more intensive intervention, most people benefit from short-term, goal-oriented therapy to address a specific issue or interpersonal conflict, get out of a rut or make a major life decision. The opportunity to talk uncensored to a nonbiased professional without fear of judgment or repercussions can be life-changing.

You may have great insight into your own patterns and problems. You may even have many of the skills to manage them on your own. Still, there may be times when you need help – and the sooner you get it, the faster you can get back to enjoying life.

Source: David Sack, M.D., is board certified in psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine. As CEO of Elements Behavioral Health he oversees addiction treatment programs at Promises Treatment Centers in Malibu and West Los Angeles, The Ranch outside Nashville, a women’s psychiatric treatment program at Malibu Vista, The Recovery Place in Florida, and Texas drug rehab Right Step and Spirit Lodge. You can follow Dr. Sack on Twitter @drdavidsack.

How I Knew I Was Depressed

For Norbert Brown, it was when he was asked a question he couldn’t answer.

April 6, 2018 by Norbert Brown 11 Comments

—-

It was a Sunday evening in the middle of summer, about seven or eight years ago. The air was hot and sticky—it was the kind of humidity we get on Cape Cod that soaks into every piece of paper until it’s completely limp when you pick it up. Notes and binders were spread out and wilting all over the kitchen table in front of me. I had too much to do, and I was way behind. I looked at it all, baffled just trying to figure out what to attack first.

Then my 10-year-old son and teenage daughter said they were going for a swim. I didn’t have time to go in the pool, but I thought that maybe if I cooled off I could be more productive. Or at least maybe I could think straight. So I said I’d join them.

My son was pretty chatty as a child. He had—still has—a mind that trips and jumps and leaps from topic to topic, idea to idea, and sometimes as a result he is shockingly insightful and completely hilarious in the same minute. My daughter’s voice is expressive—musical, even—and her laughter has been a consistent delight to me since the day she was born. So this break—this time away from my troubles, in the company of two of my favorite people—should have been refreshing, relaxing and invigorating.

But I didn’t feel a thing. My mind might have been racing with the things back on the kitchen table, the deadlines sliding by me, the executives who were expecting me to produce work I clearly wasn’t getting done. But it wasn’t—instead, my head was full of industrial noise; it was the droning soundtrack of Eraserhead in there.

I squatted in the shallow end, my head just above water. My mind was not a blank, but nothing going on in there was any earthly good to anyone. My kids chatted and laughed and played, and it was like they were a million miles away. No single sound made sense, no single thought could take hold. It was nothing but noise until my son’s voice penetrated with these words:

“Dad, do you even know how to have fun anymore?”

There was no cynicism or irony in his tone. He wasn’t complaining or being judgmental: he was asking a sincere question. I was his dad, I’d been fun at one time, and I wasn’t fun anymore. He was just wondering if I’d noticed, and if I knew why. It was a question I couldn’t evade, from a person who deserved an answer.

And the answer was: No, I did not know how to have fun anymore. And at the same moment I knew that was the answer, I recognized its corollary: I USED to know how to have fun. Something had changed.

♦◊♦

I’d spent the 90s climbing the ladder in a company that was growing so fast we couldn’t keep up. I felt like I owned a piece of that growth—I was an inside guy—I had a seat at the table when the major decisions were made, the big secrets discussed.

Then, we were acquired. Business got soft, and we were heavily leveraged. Cuts had to be made, and I was one of the cuts. It’s a pretty common story, and at the time I felt like I was weathering it well. I had skills. I had experience. I did a year of consulting (with my former employer as my biggest client) and then an offer for a new job in a new city just appeared one day on my doorstep.

It felt a lot like fate.

Which may be why I couldn’t make sense of my own failure at my new job. I knew my stuff—knew how to make decisions and make things happen. Except, things weren’t happening. Not the right things, and not fast enough. Choices baffled me. All of a sudden I couldn’t read people—couldn’t manage a staff and REALLY couldn’t manage my managers. Simple organizational tasks overwhelmed me: I, who had lived for years with a File-O-Fax in my hand before smoothly transitioning to a Palm Pilot, couldn’t keep an accurate calendar. I couldn’t face MAKING a to-do list, let alone trying to actually cross things off it. Taking usable notes in a meeting was impossible. I arrived at my office in the morning with no plan for what I’d do all day, and left without really being sure what I’d done.

♦◊♦

My son’s question forced me to recognize all the things that had changed—not just that I couldn’t have fun, but that I couldn’t organize my work or express my ideas persuasively. Something HAD changed, something was wrong, and I had to fix it.

Which is how I discovered I was depressed.

It turns out, not everybody’s depression looks the same. I didn’t feel sad. I didn’t sleep too much or too little. I was generally not that irritable, and I hadn’t lost interest in my family or other things I cared about.

For me, the most striking symptoms of depression were cognitive. I couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t keep track of details—not even the important ones. I couldn’t make decisions or draw conclusions. I’d always considered myself a pretty smart guy, and the scariest thing about the changes I’d gone through was that all of a sudden I felt like I was really, genuinely stupid.

But that question—“Dad, do you even know how to have fun anymore?”—gave me something to cling to. Because it suggested that I USED to know how to have fun, just like I USED to be smart. So maybe if all that could change, it could also change back. So I went to the doctor. And I got better.

By getting better, I don’t mean that all my troubles went away. I still don’t know if I failed at my job because I was depressed or if I was depressed because I failed at my job—it’s a chicken-and-egg thing. But I parted company from that employer on cordial (if not friendly) terms, and we’ve both moved on happily. I had some therapy and included an anti-depressant as part of my daily routine for a while. I’ve been managing without either for some time now, getting through the ups and downs of everyday life, making my lists and getting things done.

But the legacy of that evening swim and my little boy’s question is profound. I learned that life doesn’t always move in a straight line, and that you have to listen for important clues. I learned to notice when things aren’t right, and that things that aren’t right can be fixed.

I discovered that the pain and confusion that was plaguing me at the time was taking something away from my son, and my wife and my other two kids. And I learned that one of the most important things I could do for the people I care about is to take care of myself.

Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Month

Since 1949, Mental Health America and our affiliates across the country have led the observance of May is Mental Health Month by reaching millions of people through the media, local events and screenings. We welcome other organizations to join us in spreading the word that mental health is something everyone should care about by using the May is Mental Health Month toolkit materials and conducting awareness activities.

May is Mental Health Month 2018

Download Toolkit

When we talk about health, we can’t just focus on heart health, or liver health, or brain health, and not whole health. You have to see the whole person, and make use of the tools and resources that benefit minds and bodies together. That’s why this year, our May is Mental Health Month theme is Fitness #4Mind4Body. We’ll focus on what we as individuals can do to be fit for our own futures – no matter where we happen to be on our own personal journeys to health and wellness – and, most especially, before Stage 4.

Learn more about:

As part of our efforts this May, we’re asking you to take the #4Mind4Body Challenge and join Mental Health America as we challenge ourselves each day to make small changes – both physically and mentally – to create huge gains for our overall health and wellbeing. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or visit mentalhealthamerica.net/challenge for the challenge of the day and share your progress and successes by posting with #4Mind4Body.

Prepare yourself to make changes for a healthier lifestyle by using our Change is Hard worksheets.

Visit mentalhealthamerica.net/4mind4body to see what others are doing as part of the challenge!

The Toolkit

In this year’s toolkit, you will find a range of materials, including:

Fact sheets on how mental health is affected by diet and nutrition, sleep, stress, gut health, and exercise;
Worksheets on making life changes;
A promotional poster, sample social media posts with images, and web banners;
A sample press release and a drop-In article; and a sample proclamation for public officials to recognize May as Mental Health Month and the work of local mental health advocates.

Fill out the brief online form to gain access to the toolkit.

Interested in learning more about the brain-body connection? Sign up for MHA’s 2018 Annual Conference, Fit for the Future.

Why Men Oppress Women

The psychology of male domination

Steve Taylor Ph.D.

Out of the Darkness

Even if they belonged to higher social classes, most women throughout history have been enslaved by men. Until recent times, women throughout Europe, Middle East and Asia were unable to have any influence over the political, r eligiousor cultural lives of their societies. They couldn’t own property or inherit land and wealth, and were frequently treated as mere property themselves. In some countries they could be confiscated by money lenders or tax collectors to help settle debts; in ancient Assyria, the punishment for rape was the handing over of the rapist’s wife to the husband of his victim, to use as he desired. Most gruesomely of all, some cultures practised what anthropologists have called ritual widow murder (or ritual widow suicide), when women would be killed (or kill themselves) shortly after the deaths of their husbands. This was common throughout India and China until the twentieth century, and there are still occasional cases nowadays.

Even in the so-called ‘enlightened’ society of ancient Greece — where the concept of democracy supposedly originated — women had no property or political rights, and were forbidden to leave their homes after dark. Similarly, in ancient Rome women unable to take part in social events (except as employed ‘escort girls’) and were only allowed to leave their homes with their husband or a male relative.

In Europe and America (and some other countries) the status of women has risen significantly over the last few decades, but in many parts of the world male domination and oppression continues. In some Middle Eastern countries, for example, women effectively live as prisoners, unable to leave the house except under the guardianship of a male guardian. They have no role at all in determining their own lives; they are seen as nothing more than a commodity, property of the males of the family, and as owners, the men have the right to make decisions for them. Their male owners have the right to have sex with them on demand too. In Egypt, surveys have shown that the vast majority of men and women believe it is acceptable for a man to beat his wife if she refuses sex.

There have been attempts to explain the oppression of women in biological terms. For example, the sociologist Stephen Goldberg suggested that men are naturally more competitive than women because of their high level of testosterone. This makes them aggressive and power-hungry, so that they inevitably take over the high status positions in a society, leaving women to the more subordinate roles.

However, in my view the maltreatment of women has more deep-rooted psychological causes. In my book The Fall(link is external), I suggest that most human beings suffer from an underlying psychological disorder, which I call ‘humania.’ The oppression of women is a symptom of this disorder. It’s one thing to take over the positions of power in a society, but another to seemingly despise women, and inflict so much brutality and degradation on them. What sane species would treat half of its members — and the very half which gives birth to the whole species — with such contempt and injustice? Despite their high level of testosterone, the men of many ancient and indigenous cultures revered women for their life-giving and nurturing role, so why don’t we?

The oppression of women stems largely from men’s desire for power and control. The same need which, throughout history, has driven men to try to conquer and subjugate other groups or nations, and to oppress other classes or groups in their own society, drives them to dominate and oppress women. Since men feel the need to gain as much power and control as they can, they steal away power and control from women. They deny women the right to make decisions so that they can make them for them, leave women unable to direct their own lives so that they can direct their lives for them. Ultimately, they’re trying to increase their sense of significance and status, in an effort to offset the discontent and sense of lack created by humania.

But even this isn’t enough to explain the full terrible saga of man’s inhumanity to woman. Many cultures have had a strong antagonism towards women, viewing them as impure and innately sinful creatures who have been sent by the devil to lead men astray. This view was at the heart of the European witch-killing mania of the 15th to 18th centuries, and has featured strongly in all three Abrahamic religions. As the Jewish Testament of Reuben states:

Women are evil, my children…they use wiles and try to ensnare [man] by their charms…They lay plots in their hearts against men: by the way they adorn themselves they first lead their minds astray, and by a look they instil the poison, and then in the act itself they take them captive…So shun fornication, my children and command your wives and daughters not to adorn their heads and faces.

This is linked to the view — encouraged by religions — that instincts and sensual desires are base and sinful. Men associated themselves with the “purity” of the mind, and women with the “corruption” of the body. Since biological processes like sex, menstruation, breast-feeding and even pregnancy were disgusting, women themselves disgusted them too.

In connection with this, perhaps men have resented the sexual power that women have over them too. Feeling that sex was sinful, they were bound to feel animosity to the women who produced their sexual desires. In addition, women’s sexual power must have affronted their need for control. This meant that they couldn’t have the complete domination over women — and over their own bodies — that they craved. They might be able to force women to cover their bodies and faces and make them live like slaves, but any woman was capable of arousing powerful and uncontrollable sexual impulses inside them at any moment. The last 6000 years of man’s inhumanity to woman can partly be seen as a revenge for this.

We can only be thankful that, in some parts of the world at least, this antagonism — and the oppression that it leads to — has begun to fade away.

Steve Taylor is a lecturer in psychology at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. He is the author of The Fall(link is external) (from which these piece was extracted) and Back to Sanity: Healing the Madness of the Human Mind(link is external). www.(link is external)stevenmtaylor.co(link is external)m

10 tips to start living in the present

10 Tips to Start Living in the Present

WRITTEN by JOSHUA BECKER ·

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

One of the best, unforeseen consequence of simplifying our lives is it has allowed us to begin living our lives in the present. Eliminating nonessential possessions has freed us from many of the emotions associated with past lives that were keeping us stuck. And clearing our home has allowed us the freedom to shape our lives today around our most important values.

Choosing to live in the past or the future not only robs you of enjoyment today, it robs you of truly living. The only important moment is the present moment. With that goal in mind, consider this list of ten tips below to start living your life in the present:

1. Remove unneeded possessions. Minimalism forces you to live in the present. Removing items associated with past memories or lives frees us up to stop living in the past and start living in the present.

2. Smile. Each day is full of endless possibilities! Start it with a smile. You are in control of your attitude every morning, keep it optimistic and expectant.

3. Fully appreciate the moments of today. Soak in as much of today as you possibly can – the sights, the sounds, the smells, the emotions, the triumph, and the sorrow.

4. Forgive past hurts. If you are harboring resentment towards another human being because of past hurts, choose to forgive and move on. The harm was their fault. But allowing it to impact your mood today is yours.

5. Love your job. If you just “survive” the workweek constantly waiting for the next weekend “to get here,” you are wasting 71% of your life (5 out of 7 days). there are two solutions: 1) find a new job that you actually enjoy (it’s out there), or 2) find something that you appreciate about your current career and focus on that rather than the negatives.

6. Dream about the future, but work hard today. Dream big. Set goals and plans for the future. But working hard today is always the first step towards realizing your dreams tomorrow. Don’t allow dreaming about tomorrow to replace living in today.

7. Don’t dwell on past accomplishments. If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven’t done much today.

8. Stop worrying. You can’t fully appreciate today if you worry too much about tomorrow. Realize that tomorrow is going to happen whether you worry about it or not. And since worry has never accomplished anything for anybody, redirect your mental energy elsewhere.

9. Think beyond old solutions to problems. Our world is changing so fast that most of yesterday’s solutions are no longer the right answers today. Don’t get locked into a “but that’s how we’ve always done it” mentality. Yesterday’s solutions are not today’s solutions and they are certainly not tomorrow’s solutions.

10. Conquer addictions. Addictions in your life hold you hostage. They keep you from living a completely free life today. Find some help. Take the steps. And remove their influence over your life.

If you can only live one moment at a time, you might as well make it the present.

« Older Entries

Next Entries »