Many Minnesotans Dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder this Time of Year

(KNSI) – Now is the time of year some people experience a post-Christmas crash. The holidays have come and gone, the credit cards are coming due, and it’s cold and dark. It’s not just winter blues. It’s something called seasonal affective disorder.

Dr. Stephen Loos of the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center says some of the SAD symptoms include “depressed moods or frequent crying spells. You’ll see a decrease or increase in sleep, decrease or increase in eating, decreased motivation, energy, the loss of pleasure. You’ll also feel low self-esteem, maybe some sense of hopelessness, and then also it’s quite common for people to experience suicidal ideation as well.”

Dr. Loos explains that we’re more likely to experience depression now versus at any other time of year, especially if we don’t typically have depression. He says that’s where the seasonal component comes in. “In Minnesota, we get so little sunlight during our days in the winter, that can have a pretty profound impact on our brain chemistry, and increase these depressed symptoms, even if typically, we wouldn’t experience them.”

One way to combat SAD is to develop positive coping skills.

“Positive coping skills are things that are going to make us feel better, but also contribute to our overall physical health as well. That’s why exercise is so great, because it impacts from a mental health perspective, as well as our own physical wellness. But there are other things we can do, hobbies we can engage in, reading, art, music. You can’t bring that feeling up for yourself, but, if we fill our days, weeks and months with activities that are consistent with our values, research suggests that we are more likely to experience happiness on a regular basis. What are those core values for you, and how can you fill your days, weeks and months with activities that align with those values?”

If that doesn’t work, Dr. Loos recommends talking to somebody.

“It is OK to have these conversations with our loved ones; to check in with them, to notice, have that conversation. That’s OK to show that concern, it can even feel good. If these things aren’t enough, we really encourage you to seek out professional services, because its OK to talk about these things.”