Seasonal affective disorder

also known as seasonal depression,

It is the middle of November – days are getting shorter and many of us go to work in the morning in darfkness and come home from work in total darkness. Therefore, a situation has arisen where there is almost no opportunity to enjoy daylight. Have you noticed that you feel more tired, lethargic and moody when it’s dark? You can’t seem to concentrate anymore, your productivity has decreased and you would like to travel somewhere far away?

If you have felt this way, you are not alone! Many people feel tired and lack energy in November. It also has a name – seasonal affective disorder.

Seasonal affective disorder, or winter depression, usually occurs in autumn and winter. People who are affected by weather conditions feel more tired and lack in energy at the same time every year.

Winter depression is insidious and many people don’t feel the need to deal with it. They say “it’ll pass”, “it’s all due to the darkness”, “I’m going on a trip soon…”. Sometimes traveling isn’t always the option. It’s time to take charge of your own life and pay more attention to your mental well-being!

Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder:

– You feel depressed most of the day.

– You want to sleep longer than usual.

– Appetite and body weight changes.

– Increased craving for sweets or alcohol.

– Loss of interest in things that used to be exciting.

– Low energy levels and increased fatigue.

– Difficulty concentrating.

– Low level of productivity.

Possible reasons:

–Internal clock – darknes and less sunlight can disrupt the body’s internal clock, which causes a feeling of fatigue.

– Lower levels of serotonin – serotonin is a chemical that affects our mood. When it’s dark, our body produces less serotonin, which can make us feel more sad.

– Melatonin levels- seasons and dark hours can also disrupt our body’s melatonin levels, which are responsible for our sleep quality.

How to reduce winter depression?

Be physically active – when working from office or from the home office, the easiest and fastest option is to take a quick exercise break or go for a walk outside. It has been proven that physical activity increases the level of happiness hormones in the body, and through this our mood also becomes significantly better.

Be aware of your thoughts, behavior and moods – with the help of awareness it is possible to notice the circumstances of how different situations affect us. Know that it’s not about what happens to us, but how we react to situations.

Meditate – meditation helps to be in the present moment with your thoughts and to control your emotions and feelings.

Take breathing breaks – breathing helps reduce stress, anxiety and other negative emotions.

What have you heard about breathing breaks? How to perform them and how do they help? All this in the next post!