3 Tips on How to Protect your Mental Health during the Winter Months

If the shorter days and gloomy weather have you feeling down, you may not be sad, but SAD. Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that occurs during the dark days of winter when the lack of bright light induces a profound sadness. Add in another season shadowed by the gloomy specter of COVID-19, and you can understand why it’s important to protect your mental health right now and address depression during winter.

Recognizing SAD Signs

About 0.5% to 3% of Americans are affected by SAD. However, that figure jumps to 10% to 20% for people with major depressive disorder. 

And while SAD is typically a temporary condition that ends when the sun starts shining again, about 40% of people with SAD experience lingering symptoms past the change of seasons. That can lead to a diagnosis of major depression.

It’s not surprising, then, that SAD and depression share many of the same characteristics, such as:

• Fatigue or extreme inertia
• Sadness or hopelessness
• Weight gain from overeating and food cravings
• Irregular sleep patterns, especially a tendency to oversleep
• A desire to stay indoors and isolate, avoiding social interactions

There are ways to protect your mental health if you’re suffering from SAD symptoms. Be proactive about caring for yourself, especially if you’ve noticed pervasive signs of depression or SAD occurring almost every day for two weeks or longer.

Winter and Mental Health: Some Simple Ways to Take Care of Yourself This Season

Review your Mental Health Treatment Plan

If you suspect that you suffer from SAD, it may be helpful to meet with your healthcare provider for evaluation. This can include physical and psychological evaluations. If you are diagnosed with SAD, your physician may recommend light therapy as well as talk therapy. Antidepressants may be prescribed if your symptoms are serious.

Light up Your Life

Light therapy brightens your day with a lighted box that captures the essence of sunlight, filling in for Mother Nature. Also called phototherapy, light therapy is a proven approach that helps with SAD. Try to start each day with this extra dose of light. It will lift your mood and ensure that your sleep/wake rhythms stay on track for high-quality sleep, which can support your mental health. As an alternative, you can put high-wattage bulbs in your light fixtures, especially in areas where you spend a lot of time during the day. Here are some ways to incorporate light therapy into your daily routine.

Swap Facebook for Face-to-Face

Spend in-person time with friends and family. Too much time online can be detrimental to your mental health during winter months or anytime. Recent research indicates there may be an association between frequent social media use and an increase in depression symptoms. If you need to build up your social network—the real-life one, not the digital one—consider volunteering for a cause you believe in. You’ll meet new people and feel good about helping others, too. 

Can TMS Help with SAD?

SAD sufferers may also have a history or diagnosis of major depressive disorder. In those cases, medications alone may not be enough to help.

TMS may be beneficial when first-line treatments aren’t bringing the desired results. However, it should be noted that TMS is cleared for use with depression, not SAD specifically. You can talk with your mental health care professional or a TMS provider to see what the best options are for you.

Don’t let doom and gloom define your mental health during the winter months. Take the necessary steps to care for yourself, and look forward to the possibility of brighter days ahead with TMS. Contact us to learn more about how TMS works and schedule your free consultation.