What I Know About Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD as it’s more commonly known is defined as a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern. Symptoms of SAD can include a persistent low mood, a loss of interest in everyday activities, feeling lethargic and difficult concentrating. SAD is sometimes known as winter depression because the symptoms are usually more apparent and more severe during winter months. Although the exact cause of SAD has yet to be elucidated, it’s thought to be linked to reduced exposure to sunlight during autumn and winter. The lack of sunlight is thought to affect a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This cerebral control centre has an impact on our body clock, sleep pattern and mood.
How MS Makes Winter Worse for Me
I’ve never been the biggest fan of winter but getting MS has made me feel frankly frosty towards this time of year. Daylight savings time marks the beginning of my seasonal sadness. It’s a time of year when my regular depression and my seasonal depression join forces like a villainous duo hell bent on making my life misery from November to February. It’s difficult to articulate how it feels to experience SAD. It is akin to watching TV with the brightness turned down or watching TV with picture and no sound. You still get the gist of what’s happening but it’s minimised, its less evocative and interesting. Something is missing.
SAD means that I experience a whole season of each year with grey tinted glasses that suck the vibrancy and excitement out of life. This is only exacerbated by the Christmas period. The festive lights only serve to highlight the dark corners of my mind in the thick of winter when there’s so much social pressure to be constantly joyous.
My Coping Strategies for SAD and MS
Living with MS for over a decade and struggling through each of those long winters has equipped me with the tools I need to get through it. I have to ask myself what can help me to make it to springtime. A few years ago Santa brought me a SAD lamp that I use in the morning to help perk me up for the day. Although the effects aren’t long lasting, it’s enough to kick start my morning.
As with any mood disorder, speaking to a GP and commencing medication or tailoring doses in wintertime can be beneficial. Try to get outdoors as much as possible. Even if I’m blue in the face from the chill in the air, if there’s a blue sky I try to spend as much time as possible outdoors. I have a garden full of spring bulbs. The sight of the perennials poking their heads up through the compost is enough to make my heart soar! Each day that my daffodils and tulips grow taller, I know that the day is lengthening by a few minutes. If all else fails a quick Skyscanner search of flights to a location even marginally closer to the equator is a guaranteed way to secure sunshine and vitamin D.
Finding Hope in Spring: My Journey
Like an animal emerging from hibernation, I feel myself begin to perk up in February. It’s a short month and it carries the scent of blooming spring flowers in the air. As March arrives, the brightness and optimism accelerates with each passing day. Once we’ve reached ‘grand stretch in the evening’ territory, I know that I’m safe for another year. It changes like the flick of a switch. If you’ve ever watched the Wizard of Oz and you see that moment when the dreary black and white picture gives way to Technicolor – that sums up how instantly SAD can lift.
I know that I just need to persevere until then. With my gardening gloves and a toolbox of coping mechanisms, I soldier on until the sunrise.
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