Will This Last Forever? Overcoming Seasonal Depression

Seasonal depression most intensely affects those working a 9-5, as they often have to both drive to and home from work in the dark during the shortest days of the year. Seasonal depression is often exasperated by a lack of Vitamin D from the missing sunlight, which can cause muscle pain, bone pain, fatigue and weakness. The cold weather can lead to further exhaustion, and even our immune system dips in its effectiveness, which ultimately will culminate into the seasonal depression mantra: Why can’t I do anything as well as I usually can? Why am I always so tired? Why am I getting sick so often? Is there something wrong with me? Will this last forever?

And then, inevitably, spring comes around and the darkness melts away, and we feel back in control of our lives again. Our work becomes easier, our days become longer, and we become possessed by the sudden desire to clean up the spaces we have holed up in all winter long.

But what if we didn’t have to survive this winter after the holidays subside, and could instead start habits now that keep that spring-like passion for living alive all winter long? It might be an easier practice to spark then you might think.

Fueling Physical Health

With the dip in energy and your immune system more likely to be compromised, the cause of seasonal depression is, in large part, physical. This is actually fairly good news, as physical symptoms are largely treatable, and taking vitamins and improving your diet can improve your wintertime mood significantly.

For example, a high protein diet can help give you longer sustaining daily energy than just caffeine. In the middle of winter, we tend to drink more caffeine than usual, eating more chocolate and drinking more tea and coffee. This feels energizing, but the energy doesn’t last, and it may leave you feeling more tired after it wears off. Protein better provides the energy we search for in caffeine, and does it in a healthier way. Prioritizing eating meat and beans, snacking on nuts, and having eggs for breakfast can help you to survive the winter season without exhaustion.

In order to fortify your immune system, regularly taking Vitamin C supplements over 75 mg can help you prevent catching the cold or flu. Vitamin C builds up in your system to help protect you, so it needs to be taken regularly in order to keep building it up.

In the Absence of Sunlight

Taking Vitamin D or using a SAD lamp (a 10,000 lux lamp that mimics sunlight) during dark mornings or evenings can help you overcome the lack of sunlight. Egg yolks, orange juice, mushrooms and fish like salmon, trout, and sardines have Vitamin D in them, providing you with further fortification against the lack of sunlight.

Spending time outside in the early morning or while at work can help boost your mood as well. Take a brief five minute walk, or work outside for a few minutes if you have a way to do so. Bundle up if you live somewhere cold and bring a hot drink, but don’t let the cold serve as an excuse not to enjoy the outdoors.

If you are at a workplace where you can’t step outside, take advantage of the fresh air even when it’s dark by committing to an outdoor nighttime activity like walking to see Christmas lights or stargazing. This can help you to feel less stuck in a world that feels biting and dark.

Restructure for Hope

When it comes to poor mental health, the key to overcoming depressing thought spirals and hopelessness is restructuring. For example, if the darker hours feel claustrophobic or restrictive, you may restructure dark hours indoors into an opportunity to get warm and cozy, spend time with family, and reconnect with hobbies. I once heard someone call the darker evenings “twinkle time” because they used it to light candles and twinkle lights, restructuring dark into an opportunity for a different kind of light.

One of our greatest strengths as human beings is our ability to “rename” our circumstances, making way for hope to change them into something valuable to us. When it comes to the negative rumination that often makes up the majority of our seasonal depression, this strength becomes our greatest defense.

Seasonal Depression as a Root Cause

Culture and mental health affect the workplace in dangerous ways. Exhaustion is a root cause. Depression is a root cause. And when winter generates both of these problems, winter can be a root cause as well. What is often labeled as “carelessness” doesn’t actually mean that the person making the mistake doesn’t care. The exhaustion and depression that commonly come with the winter months can affect a person’s attention span, work-life balance, and stress levels. Taking care of yourself, and encouraging and enabling your coworkers to do the same, creates a healthy work culture and protects everyone from danger.

If you would like to learn more about how the TapRooT® System helps you find real root causes like these, contact us for a free briefing here.

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