7 Ways to Prep for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
I've found Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) to be a sneaky mood. At one moment, I'm content in October's fall colors, and in the next, I'm crying through winter's cold.
I'm always surprised how carb-loading becomes a consistent diet and how I become best friends with snoozing my alarm. My body stops wanting to move, and isolation feels heavy.
Yet, have I ever prepared myself for these winter blues? Nope. Not one single time. But here's the thing, I'm a list maker, a chronic bullet-pointer, and a prepper. So why? Why haven't I ever prepped myself for SAD?
Does that resonate with you as well? If so, let's start by creating a game-plan to fight the winter blues. This is especially true in a year like 2020 with all the glories of social distancing.
1. Study Your Opponent
The first step to any game plan is to understand who you're going up against. Start reading up on what SAD is, why it happens, and what the symptoms are.
Here are a few resources I've gathered along the way.
For those of you who love definitions: Read this article from Mayo Clinic or browse this blog post from Sunrise Sensations.
If you love a good workbook: Purchase This Winter Blues Survival Guide: A Workbook for Overcoming SAD
If you're a podcast junkie: Here’s one of my personal favorite resources. Listen to the Beaumont podcast here or watch it on Youtube here.
To be diagnosed with SAD, you will have had symptoms for over two years so this is no new opponent.
You probably have a track record with this one. Why not take a moment to look back on any of your previous January and Februarys? Take note of any symptoms that may have affected you the most. Click here for a check-list to support you through this step.
2. Gather Teammates
"What helps is that we are not all crazy and hopeless on the same day. One of us remembers and reminds the rest of us that when it is really dark, you can see the stars." -Anne Lamott.
This quote is one of my motivating factors for this part of my winter game plan.
Choose your partner, a trusted friend, a family member, or a coworker. Ask them if they would be willing to watch out for you and a few SAD symptoms over your winter.
Make your pre-winter-self a teammate by using your words as affirmations. I've been declaring to all my friends, "I'm doing this winter differently. Do you want to join me?" Also, try taping the symptom check-list to your mirror and hold yourself accountable.
Consider booking monthly appointments with a professional now. Whether that be a therapist, counselor, spiritual mentor, yoga therapist, etc. I have found that with the busyness of the holidays it’s helpful to schedule this ahead of time. That way I’m not scrambling for an appointment when I need it the most in January.
3. Learn from the Pros:
If I hear someone declare their happiness for winter weather, you can bet I'm jumping right into their conversation.
What do you love about winter? What makes it enjoyable to you? Can you share any advice on how to do winter well?
Before I can recover myself from the shock of their winter love, sometimes I gasp "But, but why?" I’m so grateful I’ve begun to ask friends and strangers these questions. I've found all kinds of inspiration from people and hope that you have fun getting curious about this too!
4. Keep Getting Outside
The most common answer I get from the "winter pros" is that they get outside no matter the weather.
Prep your wardrobe for cold weather walks. Gather up some ear-muffs, layers, jackets, and tube scarfs.
Find the warmest spot on your patio, front porch, building, etc., and spend 5 minutes out there each day. Yes, I said it—each day.
Recruit a winter-walking buddy.
Challenge yourself to take three deep breaths outside a few times a week. Put a reminder on your phone to help keep yourself accountable with this. If you're a social media kind of person, tag @staciejoyyoga with a picture or video so I can share it with our community! Be sure to add hashtag #3breaths .
Create a winter-adventure-bucket-list. What is is that inspires you during your location’s warmer months? Then see if you can translate that over to a winter option. For me, I love hiking. But what does that looks like in the winter when the trails are under snow? I little brainstorming has brought me to realize that I just may need to add in snow-shoeing or cross-country skiing. Stay-tuned!
5. Light Therapy Lamp
I'll keep this game plan metaphor going with a look at athletic equipment. You can't play basketball without a hoop—soccer without a goal and hockey without a puck. That sounds about right? Right? ;)
For your winter blues equipment, consider adding in a light therapy lamp. Starting in November, our internal clocks feel the disruption of less sunlight. This can effect our mood greatly. If you want to learn more, check out this article from Mayo Clinic.
When purchasing a light, I looked for something that I could set out on my counter. I didn’t want to feel like I had to put it away because of its hospital look. That's when I found this light on Amazon from Sunrise Sensations. I’m loving it already and using it for 30-60 minutes each morning. *Try to not use this in the evening as it can disrupt your circadian rhythm.
If you want $10 off, you can purchase here with code STACIE2020. It’s good until 12/10/2020.
6. Fuel-Up with Food
What does it look like to use food to help fuel us for the winter? For me, it resembles finding recipes and stocking up on freezer meals. This keeps me choosing nourishing food even when that sneaky winter sluggishness sets in. Here's a quick read from the Food Network on what foods help fight against Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Compile about five recipes that are either high in Vit D or high in spice.
I utilize a whole ton of spice in the winter to keep me warm. Hey, you get a good hot salsa into your diet and you get nice clear sinuses during colds. Win for sure! Whatever recipes you choose, let them become your winter staples. Feel free to comment below with some of your favorites! Most of my winter recipes are from these spots:
Shop the frozen aisles now for meals that you can heat up when you don’t have much in you.
I usually keep Indian foods, frozen vegetables, and Mexican food in my freezer during the winter months. Hint: Trader Joe's frozen butter curry or cheese enchiladas are a staple in my house.
7. Movement & Breath
This wouldn't be a Stacie Joy Yoga blog post without talking about movement, breath, and yoga.
Movement
Take a moment to bookmark a few work-out videos and yoga sequences to your browser. Find a few videos that will match your seasonal energy level. Think slow movement at the beginning while progressively getting stronger towards the end. Here’s a few to get you started:
Dance it off! If you’ve following me on instagram you’ve seen my family dance parties. Each Friday night we plan a dance party so we can shake off the heaviness of our week. We have a music playlist ready to go and we keep glow sticks stocked in our pantry. Here’s my personal favorite glow stick kit.
Remind yourself of the power of your breath.
I can nerd out and get so excited when it comes to our breath! On average, we take about 20,000 breaths per day. With those same automatic breaths, you can alter and change them for whatever you need.
Your inhale is tied into the energizing side of your nervous system. If you feel glued to your bed, take five rounds of breath focusing on your inhale.
Your right nostril acts to increase your heart rate and speed up your circulation through your sympathetic nervous system. Yoga’s breath practice of Surya Bedhana is a great way to help yourself through depression. Here’s a little video I made to walk you through it.
I hope that you find resilience through your winter with a bit of this game-plan.
Download a printable checklist here.
As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or need support.
Sending much love your way,
Stacie Joy
*Full disclosure, these are affiliate links. Meaning you pay the exact same, and I get a little kickback for sharing what I would probably share anyway!
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