This article was written by Dawn Reed, LPC, at Living Well Counseling.
Fall is my favorite time of year in Arkansas. The colors are gorgeous, and I can’t help but love pumpkin spice, blankets, hoodies, football games, fire pits, smores, hayrides … I could go on.
But there’s something that happens every year in the fall that I dread—that silly “fall back” time change. Ugh! I get in my car after work, and it looks like it’s time for bed.
Before Daylight Savings Time ends, I have a few more hours of sunshine after work to walk the dog, cook out, maybe even jump in the lake. But in one day, those fleeting hours of sunlight are replaced with a dark damp chill in the air that feels like a cold wet blanket.
If you’ve turned into a summer girl like me, you might struggle with the winter time blues brought on by the shorter days and colder weather. In the counseling field, this is called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, for short. People who struggle with SAD often have low energy and tend to feel moody. It starts early fall (right about now) and continues into the winter months.
Usually, SAD is just a small case of the winter blues, but sometimes it can make life very difficult. Get help if you’re experiencing these symptoms, and you just can’t “shake” them:
- Feeling listless, sad, or down most of the day, nearly every day
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Having low energy or feeling sluggish
- Having problems sleeping too much
- Experiencing carb cravings, overeating, and weight gain
- Feeling hopeless, worthless, or guilty
- Having thoughts of not wanting to live
It’s normal to feel down some days. But if you’re struggling for long periods of time and can’t get motivated to do things you love, see your doctor or medical provider.
So, what can be done for SAD? Your doctor might prescribe medications, supplements, or he might recommend phototherapy (light therapy). Light therapy provides vitamin D, something we normally get from the sunlight on those long days. And our bodies use vitamin D to produce positive feelings. Since there are days in the winter when we don’t see the sun at all, many people are deficient in this vitamin.
It can be an easy fix, but you should take steps early on to manage symptoms, so they can be prevented from getting worse over time. Treatment can help prevent complications if it is diagnosed and treated early.
Find the things you love about fall and focus on them, and don’t hesitate to reach out when you need a helping hand! A mental health counselor can help you in this and in many other areas. Contact Living Well Counseling at one of our many locations across the state. Find out more at https://www.abcfm.org/counseling-locations-services