I started noticing it a few years ago; I’d get depressed during the fall and winter months - not crazily so, but I’d definitely fall into a several-month low-level depression that never went away. It certainly wasn’t fun, but I wasn’t putting razors to my wrist, either, so I never thought much about it.
Last year, I moved to Chicago (from the east coast), where the days are even shorter during those months, and man, did I feel it. I was incredibly depressed for the entirety of the fall and winter, and it got really bad in January, to the point where I was seriously starting to feel paranoid and irrational. Bad scene, man.
Well, the days have started to get shorter again, and it’s already hitting me like a mack truck - I’m feeling glum, constantly tired and irritable, antisocial, and so on - and we haven’t even turned back the clocks yet!
So what do you do to deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder? What works for you? If it made you feel better, hit me up with it - anything from weird dietary supplements to old folk remedies to prescribed antidepressants to excercise and sex, let me know WHATEVER worked. I must mention that I do not and will not take SSRI’s, so they’re not even an option, but please mention it if they worked for you.
I get it, but it usually hits me later in the season. Jan/Feb or so.
Working out definitely helps me as does going to a tanning booth once every couple of weeks or so. Other little things helped me as well. Like painting my toenails, which is something I tend not to do as often during the winter months. Just a nice secret little pick me up. And bubble baths are never a bad thing.
I have SAD, and have for many years. Everyone is different in how they respond, but I take the amino acid L-Tyrosine (500 mg.) daily beginning in late Sept.-early Oct. as the days get shorter. Read up on it before you take it, though – there are contraindications (don’t take it if you are on MAO inhibitors, for instance). Like any supplement, try to get as much info as possible before taking anything. It helps me concentrate, especially.
This year the SAD has started early due to extreme stress at work and a lack of exercise over the summer (see above), so I have kicked things up a notch by also taking St. Johnswort. I know the studies that say it is ineffective, but it does seem to help me a bit, boosting the L-Tyrosine. YMMV
Exercise outside is helpful, if possible. Even a brief walk on sunny days can help energize. Indoor exercise (like in a gym) I’ve found less effective. I do gentle yoga and lots of stretches whenever possible to stay centered.
Also, I’m an aromatherapist and use sweet orange, lemon, lemongrass, lime and bergamot in the diffusor. They are uplifting scents. Get the real oils at the health food store, not synthetics, which have no aromatherapy value. DO NOT USE THESE OILS ON THE SKIN UNDILUTED! They can burn the skin.
I avoid alcohol in the winter months. It seems to make my symptoms worse.
Good luck. You’re not alone.
I have had some success with an Ott-Lite (circle R) lamp. It’s supposed to be a natural spectrum light, and it’s very good for a computer and craft lamp. I’ve also had a lot of success with Paxil and then Lexapro.
Get yourself a light box. My doctor prescribed one. She said the proper way to use it is in the morning while having breakfast. Start out with just a few minutes, and you can build your way up to as much as 30 minutes.
If you can get a prescription, insurance will often cover it. They’re about $200 otherwise.
I have a couple of ott-lights about the house. You can pick them up at Joann’s during some really good sales for about $40-60 bucks. Best reading/table light I’ve ever owned.
Ditto the lighting, also ditto the working out. Increase your energy level and it makes a HUGE difference. Force your body to work, and you produce endorphins.
I work out of a home office that faces north. During the winter, I move to my ‘Winter Quarters,’ which is the living room, which has a southern exposure.
We have those special kind of light bulbs, mentioned by other posters, in all the lamps in the house.
On December 22nd, I say ‘OK, the worst is over, now the days start getting longer.’
I get very focused on NFL football. I tell people that is what gets me across the existential abyss of winter. I know that once I make it to the Super Bowl, January is almost over.
After football ends, it’s time to obsess over women’s college basketball, which takes me right through to March.
By March, the birds have started singing again in the morning, and I know that all will be well again.
Try to get as much sun on your skin as possible - that always seems to help me. And pick a hockey team - since I became a hockey fan, for the first time in my life I actually look forward to winter!
I’m not a sufferer (I grew up here), but I second the lighting recommendations - make your house as bright as you like it with lamps and such. You may take a hit on your energy costs, but it’ll be worth it if you feel better.
My mother-in-law (originally from Oklahoma, tho’ I don’t know if she really suffers from it or not) swears by color. Surround yourself with really bright colors - buy new bedsheets and blankets, get some new towels, brighten up the space with colorful cushions or prints, maybe even paint a room.
I use a light box for 30 min each morning. The intensity needs to be 10,000 lux to be effective (at least, as proven in clinical studies) so most light fixtures won’t do it, no matter what lightbulb you use. The spectrum of light has not been proven to have an effect. Finally, it’s not the skin that needs exposure to light, it’s the eyes. You don’t need to look directly into the light source, but your eyes should be exposed and open.
I end up with SAD during the winter months. It gets bad here living in a valley, the sun is behind the mountains by 330- 4 PM and being on the far eastern edge of a time zone makes it worse.
The way I deal with it is going to a tanning bed for about 5- 15 minutes three times a week. It helps me feel recharged and I get a bonus tan to boot. ( I know tanning beds are bad- but I don’t want to hear it here)
I have a SunUp dawn simulator which seems to give some benefit.
You can also try doing a search for a series of articles in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on the “daylight diet”, which apparently was useful (executive summary: eat a decent diet and get some exercise outside during daylight hours on a daily basis).
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is said to have good results with battling depression. The suggestions offered so far are great, especially exercise. Getting out in the sunlight as much as possible can help. Why won’t you take SSRIs? They are not addictive. I’m always surprised that people are willing to try any untested “herbal” remedy, but won’t try SSRIs which have a proven track record. If you can lick it w/o meds that’s great, but there’s no shame in using them if you need to.
