What is Seasonal Adjustment Disorder?

Seasonal adjustment disorder or seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that comes and goes during the seasons. Most people who suffer from SAD do so during the winter months, though there are people who can feel fine during the winter months and who suffer during the summertime. SAD can often be known as winter depression because it is more prevalent during the winter months.

What are the symptoms of SAD?

There are various symptoms of SAD, which include

• Feelings of despair

• Persistent low mood

• Feeling lethargic

• Lack of energy and sleeping in the daytime

• Lack of interest in a day-to-day routine

• Craving carbohydrates

• Weight gain

• Problems getting up in the morning

• Sleeping more

• Feeling guilty or worthless

• Lack of concentration

• Loss of libido

  Although not everyone will suffer from all of these symptoms, for some people their symptoms will be so severe they can begin to hurt their daily routines.

What causes SAD?

There is no definitive answer for what actually causes seasonally adjusted disorder, though there have been various theories put forward.

Lack of sunlight is the main theory. The reasoning behind this is that lack of sunlight affects the hypothalamus in the brain and prevents it from working properly.

The hypothalamus not functioning properly can affect:

• circadian rhythms - these are the internal body clocks that we all function by. Your sleep-wake cycle is one such rhythm. The lack of sunlight can affect your normal sleeping and waking pattern causing SAD.

• Production of melatonin - Melatonin is the hormone that makes you feel tired. For anyone suffering from SAD, their body could be producing higher levels of this hormone meaning that they feel more tired, more often.

• Production of serotonin - Serotonin is the hormone that affects your appetite, sleep and moods. Lower levels of serotonin are linked to people feeling depressed.

• genetics - some people may be predisposed to SAD because of their genes.

How to overcome adjustment disorder

There are various treatments for overcoming SAD, usually, when you talk to your doctor, they will outline the various ways that you can go about treating it.

Below are 17 effective ways of treating seasonally adjusted disorders.

17 Effective Strategies for Seasonal Adjustment Disorder

1. Seek help from your doctor

The first thing to do if you are worried about how you are feeling is to make an appointment to see your doctor.

A medical opinion can be reassuring and can stop you from becoming over-anxious or stressed about how you are feeling.

Your doctor will be able to tell you various remedies and treatments that you can try to combat the symptoms.

2. Prepare yourself physically and mentally for darker nights

Preparing yourself for the coming colder darker nights can help you to get ahead when treating SAD. If you know that you are prone to suffering then you can start to put measures in place to help you with any symptoms that you may experience. Preparation will always help you cope.

3. Use light therapy for SAD

As seasonally adjusted disorder is often the result of low light levels during the darker months, many people find that using light therapy is very beneficial for their mental well-being.

This entails using a light therapy box, usually, 10,000 lux (sunlight is 50,000 lux) and absorbing light from the box for about 30 minutes a day. Don’t stare directly at the box, have it slightly away and to the side of you. Use the box daily, preferably starting in the morning.

4. Stick to a regular schedule

One of the symptoms of SAD is having trouble sleeping and getting up. Sticking to a regular sleep-wake cycle can help to alleviate some of the symptoms of SAD.

The body will get used to being exposed to light at the same time and also meals and eating habits will become more routine and regular which can prevent overeating and weight gain.

5. Maintain or boost your social life

A healthy, active social life can give you a real psychological boost during the colder, darker months. Getting out and about meeting people, laughing and sharing time and fun with others can help to raise your mood, lifting you from depression.

It can help you not slide into depressive thinking and can give you something to look forward to. It is also a way of discussing how you are feeling if you are down and can help to stop negative thinking from setting in.

6. Medications to help with SAD

If you find that the more holistic approach of treatment isn’t working for you then look at different medications that could aid you. Talk to your doctor about different antidepressants that you could try.

7. Bring light into your home and office

Getting as much light as possible is going to help anyone with SAD and that means having a light home or working environment. Try to get as much light into your daytime spaces. If you work from home, you could try pushing your desk closer to a window to maximise natural daylight. Keep curtains open as much as possible to let in the daylight.

8. Expose yourself to as much outdoor light as possible

Wherever and whenever possible get outside into natural daylight. Although in the northern hemisphere, natural daylight can be limited to just a few hours a day, it is important to take advantage of the daylight hours. Try getting out first thing in the morning when the sun has risen to inject daylight into your body or try getting outside during your lunch hour.

Even small 10-minute intervals will begin to have an impact on how you feel.

9. Take a holiday or weekend away if possible

If you can take a break in the sunshine, the winter months are a great time to go if you suffer from SAD.

Even if you can’t manage a holiday away, even getting away for the weekend can give you a mental lift. It can also allow you to spend more time outside and to relax and recharge your batteries which will all help your mental well-being.

10. Use exercise when feeling stressed

Everyone knows the value of exercise and the importance it plays in life. As well as the physical benefits of regular exercise, the mind also benefits. When you are feeling stressed or depressed during the winter months, take part in an exercise to boost your mood and raise the feel-good hormones in your body.

Endorphins are released into the body as you exercise giving you a natural feel-good hit. The more you exercise the more you get and unlike synthetic highs such as alcohol or drugs which diminish the more you use them, making it harder to get a feel-good buzz from them, exercise never does.

11. Cut back on alcohol

Alcohol is best avoided if you are someone who suffers from depression or anxiety as it can adversely affect your system.

Although many people turn to alcohol when they are feeling depressed or anxious, alcohol will only make the problem worse.

Drinking can cause depression and if you are then aware that you are drinking more than you would like to be this can lead to you feeling stressed and anxious thus making the situation worse.

12. Use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Counselling

Cognitive behavioural therapy or counselling are great tools to use if you are suffering from SAD. Talking through with someone else how you are feeling can lift your mood and make you feel better.

They can also highlight unhelpful thinking patterns and give you help in replacing negative thinking patterns with more positive helpful ones.

Challenging your thinking can help you to identify triggers that cause your depression and can help you to view your thoughts more rationally.

13. Use aromatherapy to lift your mood

There have been several reviews undertaken to see how the use of essential oils can lessen the symptoms of anxiety and depression and they can be helpful for anyone suffering from SAD.

Essential oils can aid sleep and relaxation, especially when used in a warm bath before bedtime. This can help people to adopt a more productive sleep pattern.

The smell of essential oils can influence moods and can help ward off stress and anxiety.

When used as part of a massage, they can be very beneficial for relaxation

14 Keep yourself active

Having something to do and activities to preoccupy your mind will prevent you from feeling depressed. Sitting around ruminating on depressing thoughts is never going to serve you. Keeping active is always going to help.

Take up different hobbies or interests that will keep you occupied during the long winter days. Have a plan of action of what you are going to do each day and stick to it, even on days when you are feeling depressed. It will help to elevate your mood.

15. Stay connected to other people

Having a good support network will help you to get through the winter months if you suffer from SAD.

Many people will find that they can spend a large chunk of each day alone, especially if they are retired or now find that they are working from home a lot more.

Staying connected to other people is essential for good mental well-being. Even if you can’t physically meet up during the day, try and hold chat groups online or phone people so you have some daily contact with others.

16. Keep a journal

Writing down how you are feeling and the thoughts that you are having can have a positive effect on you mentally.

Before you go to bed each night it is a good idea to jot down your thoughts and feelings from the day, This is a good way to empty your mind before you go to sleep. It can help you prioritize thoughts that you are having and can help you identify unhelpful triggers that affect your mood.

17. Get plenty of Vitamin D with food and supplements

What you eat can have a real impact on how you feel. Make sure that you are eating a healthy nutritious diet that is rich in fruit and vegetable and also high in vitamin D.

Vitamin D during the summer months can be obtained by being out in the sunshine.

During the winter months in the northern hemisphere, you can’t get enough vitamins from the sunshine so you will have to get them from food or supplements.

Food rich in vitamin D are,

• oily fish

• fortified dairy products

• cod liver oil tablets

• egg yolks

• cheese

• fortified cereals.

Final Thoughts

Although many people find that seasonally adjusted disorder can take over their lives during the winter months, some remedies and strategies can be put in place to ease the symptoms.

Trying light therapy, getting outdoors in natural light and exercising can all prove to be major help at this time.

Meeting up with other people and socialising can lift your mood and improve feelings of depression. Sticking to a regular sleep-wake cycle can be a huge benefit as well as maintaining a regular daytime schedule.

Preparation can be of paramount importance during the Autumn months when you can set routines, exercise plans and healthy eating plans in place to get you through the winter months.

Look at exercise groups that you could become involved in or other social activities that will keep you occupied.

If you find that coping alone can be overwhelming then engaging the help of a life coach or counsellor could be what you need. Reaching out to other people can offer you the support network that you need at this time.

Remember, there are always people out there ready and willing to help, you never need to be alone.

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