How to fight winter depression

Author: By Ed Vasquez Articles written: 1
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The warm and sunny days of summer are over, and autumn begins to creep slowly with its dark and rainy weather, making you feel cold and uncomfortable. And the decreasing day length just makes you as active as a paraplegic snail. Why do we feel so tired, sluggish and depressed during the autumn and winter seasons? How do you fight these symptoms? Chances are that you’ve been affected by winter depression.

Firstly, we have to identify the cause of these symptoms. It’s a widely known fact that lots of people are subject to of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression that occurs in the autumn and winter months. The effects of this disorder are very diverse, ranging from general lack of energy, irritability and sleepiness to unwillingness to socialize, and may even lead to considerable increases in weight due to overeating. Some specialists suggest that if you want to defeat SAD you have to consume special drugs such as antidepressants which actually might produce some spooky side effects you don’t want to experience. We at jurgita.com have decided that you do not deserve such a harsh treatment, so we will show you several simple ways that might help you feel as good in winter as you were feeling during the summer:

LIGHT THERAPY
This method has been approved by many scientists who have studied SAD as the most effective way to fight winter depression, as it is suspected that it kicks our biological rhythms, namely melatonin, into step with our sleep cycle. Sounds scary? Well, it‘s actually not as life-threatening as you might think. Light therapy is not some complicated three-year course in a sanatorium, it’s just a simple improvement to your day schedule. All you need to do is spend a couple of hours in a well-lit room when you come home. Even an hour-long walk in the park can do the trick, and in several weeks, you’ll be feeling as good as you were during the summer. According to psychologists, the best time to apply the light therapy is early morning. You might even make it you first task in the morning.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Physical activity, such as daily exercise or even dancing, could significantly improve your health and general mood and help you fight winter depression. While this is not universal, lack of general physical activity is known to cause mood swings and depression. Outdoor exercise, such as skiing or hiking would be the most helpful in this matter, while dancing would be the most entertaining.

HEALTHY FOOD
In order to keep the winter blues at bay, eating wisely is an important course to follow. Chocolate, sugar and other sweets tend to quickly raise the level of insulin in your blood, thus dropping you into a mood hole after several hours, and that’s not how you want to feel during those long winter evenings, right? Decrease the number of coffee cups, cookie boxes and chocolate bars you consume during the day to keep up the good mood. Fruit, vegetables, and nuts raise the level of serotonin, the lack of which is considered to be the cause of SAD.

These were a few simple tips on how to fight winter depression. Follow them, and it’s more than likely that you will avoid being SAD.

By Ed Vasquez