Health and Happiness

I first heard about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in Women’s Adventure magazine a couple years ago. I was relieved to finally have a name for the strange sadness I experienced during winter. Jayme’s article said:

“Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a variation of depression that plagues normally healthy people with depressive symptoms during the winter. These symptoms include feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, loss of energy, social withdrawal, oversleeping, loss of interest in hobbies, carbohydrate cravings, weight gain, and difficulty concentrating and processing information. Approximately 6 percent of Americans experience SAD, and another 14 percent experience subsyndromal Seasonal Affective Disorder, a milder form of SAD.”

My case wasn’t too serious, but it was serious enough to concern me. But one particular statistic in the article comforted me: “Three out of four people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder are women.” How nice to learn I’m pretty normal! My issue is common, and it’s actually not that big a deal!

View from Beaver Creek ski area. By Jennifer Olson.

Using the strategy Kathleen Hall, PhD, offered in the article, I took action. Her method suggestions a combination of serenity, exercise, love, and food (SELF).

As with many fears, problems, and addictions, the first step to overcoming SAD is acknowledging it. So, in this way, labeling my mood and knowing the cause gave me some serenity and enabled my steps toward solving it.

But the next step, exercise, is one of the most crucial. Running, skiing, and snowshoeing are my go-to winter activities, but I needed more and—being somewhat wimpy— wanted something that could be done indoors when it’s dark and cold outside. That’s where salsa dancing comes in. (I know, not a typical Women’s Adventure magazine activity, but we aren’t the kind of women who fit in boxes, right?) Last winter, I went out dancing several evenings a week for a little exercise and to see my favorite dancers. Combining the arts and an active distraction proved super helpful, and I largely credit dancing for my dissipating doldrums.

This winter, I continued dancing (though it’s a little more consuming that I ever anticipated) and made a great group of new friends through it. The dance community plus my close gal pals who play outside with me provided enough love to complete the third component of the cure to SAD.

Food, the final ingredient in the fix, is one I’m still working to include. In general, I do cook more in winter than in summer. (Really, who wants to spend warm, sunny days indoors cooking?) I’ve never skipped breakfast in my life, so eating in the morning and consuming brain berries—excuse me, blueberries—is no trouble. But, I haven’t made much effort to work in more mood-boosting omega-3 fatty acids and calming B6. It’s something to aim for.

Now, with a label for my winter blues, another activity I enjoy, a regular community, and a conscious diet, I am a more mentally positive, stable, and healthy woman.

Do you feel the effects of the seasons? How do you maintain health and happiness through these chilly months? Winter has just begun, so let’s all band together, striving for wellness and joy this year!