authentic self-care: winter blues

Authentic Self-Care!

navigating the winter blues

By anne-Tillery Melson

We are officially entering into the winter season here in Virginia: weather is colder, and nights are longer. While most of us can easily engage in normal activities despite the change in season, for some folks this is much harder.

About 5% of the US population experiences seasonal depression, also called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Seasonal depression, according to Mental Health America's website, is "a subtype of depression or bipolar disorder that occurs and ends around the same time every year," typically fall through winter.

SAD, like many mental health disorders, is often frequently misunderstood. With December being Seasonal Affective Disorder Awareness Month, I wanted to shed light on the experiences of people who experience SAD. Below are the questions I asked and two individual's responses, denoted by initials for anonymity. What does seasonal depression look like for you? D: "Usually, as the days start getting darker and shorter, I feel a heaviness come over me. I quickly lose a lot of my energy and start to struggle with focus or motivation. It becomes a lot harder to sort through thoughts and emotions." L: "The glib answer is that SAD feels like wanting to make soup and sit on the couch and never leave the house or do work. SAD also feels like having a smaller gas tank for work and socializing, especially when the amount of commitments we are expected to keep remains constant year-round - like having to keep a packed schedule with a winter's hibernation energy reserve."

What helps you feel better? D: "When there are days with nicer weather and I'm able to be around people who I trust, I start feeling better. Holidays help because it gives me something to focus my attend around, and I know I'll have things to look forward to. I also can regulate my emotions with movies, tv, and books that can stir up different tougher and heavier emotions so that I can get a good cry or process my feelings." L: "It helps to give myself permission to dial it back-- to know that I can't function on 11 all year long and that winter is my body asking me to slow down for a season. As the weather gets colder, I'm scheduling less and seeing people less and I think I just get to decide that that's okay."

How can people support friends or family members with SAD? D: "Support for me looks like people giving me the space to feel and experience my depression while also not leaving me to deal with it myself or become to isolated." L: "Honestly, it helps to give folks in your life permission to dial it back, too. Keep reaching out, keep inviting us places, keep showing up, but know that our batteries are on the charging block and will be there for a few months. Nothing feels worse than letting your friends and family down for not showing up, so easier lower-stakes get togethers can be so helpful. We can't really help our energy levels, so punishing us (peer pressure, bullying, guilt-tripping, minimizing) for something we can't control is only going to push us deeper into the hobbit hole." If you think you may be experiencing seasonal depression or another mental health condition, you deserve to get help and should consider seeing a mental health professional. Mental Health America of Fredericksburg maintains an extensive list of local mental health providers that we call the HELPLINE. We keep track of the services offered in the area, insurances accepted, and new client availability. Learn more by calling (540) 371-2704 or visiting mhafred.org.

Anne-Tillery Melson is the Suicide Prevention Education Coordinator at Mental Health America of Fredericksburg.

Local Mental Health Providers call Mental Health America of Fredericksburg HELPLINE (540) 3712704 or visit our website at mhafred.org.

Mental Health Screening at MHAScreening.org