By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
As thrilling as moving to Little Rock is, eventually the moving high fades away and you return to earth along with a great big thud. If re-entry is during the winter season, it can lead to seasonal depression--also termed SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Specially if your move has brought you a place where wintertime is actually a thing--such as if you've gone from Arizona to Oregon-you must be ready for some seasonal anxiety symptoms and understand how to manage it until the springtime thaw.Should you remember anything at all with regards to high school geography, the farther north you travel, the less daylight there is during the fall and winter times. The short days frequently go hand in hand with dismal gray days, so that it may seem like the sun never shines for months at a time. That's when just about all you'd like to do is hibernate--stay home, snooze, binge watch movies online, and just stay away from the world. For those who have recently moved across the country and are in a new place, and you have not yet really settled into a new routine as yet, it's much easier to succumb to the grip of seasonal depression. So, here is how you can deal with it from your own home, or some solutions a professional may prescribe if you're unable to keep it under control by yourself.
One thing--SAD is a real thing--the Mayo Clinic addresses it, as well as the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) includes it. If you feel the signs and symptoms of depression linked to winter season, find treatment in case you have had the symptoms before.
Light Treatments
Phototherapy is the miraculous bullet for many individuals with SAD. It's a straightforward procedure that professionals think modifies your brain balance with half hour per day of exposure; There aren't any substantial adverse effects and it's a home remedy, so it is worth a chance. You will need a light box that produces at least 10,000 lux (lux factors in the concentration of the lighting). Sit by the box--around 16 and 24 inches away--while you drink your morning coffee, not gazing directly at the light but with your eyes open. Ensure the box is made specifically for SAD therapy, because it will filter Ultraviolet light.
Easy things--higher-watt light bulbs, opening blinds in the daytime, and sitting by a window where you work, if possible--that get you to more light may have a significant benefit. Trim back all tree limbs that dangle across your house to let in more natural light, and explore putting in skylights to allow all the natural light you'll be able to into the residence.
Head Out-of-doors
Go for a walk, eat your lunch time outside--anything to take in a few weak winter sun. Even a small boost of Vitamin D is good for you and getting outdoors for a short walk handles that as well as getting your heart rate up. Early morning sun--even on cloudy days--packs a greater wallop versus the weak mid-day light, so strive to go out to begin your day.
Working out is the default method for helping any variety of depression--it gets the endorphins flowing, which eases the outward symptoms of tension and anxiety. If your new house is located in a locale where wintertime sporting activities are prominent, take up a new pastime--snow skiing, ice skating, perhaps ice fishing. Strive to get out and socialize, even if it is simply having a meal or having coffee with acquaintances.
If your SAD continues once you have tried to deal with it yourself, I highly recommend you get a medical professional's assistance. A psychologist or psychiatrist will perform a detailed evaluation of your mental and physical well-being and evaluate if your signs and symptoms are actually seasonal or maybe the beginnings of a more chronic depression. Among the first questions they will ask is if any different family members are subject to SAD--it is assumed to be hereditary. Treatments may be talk therapy, rest or meditating, or perhaps short-term prescription for antidepressants.
Do not forget that as wintertime gives way to spring, so will your SAD decrease as the days get longer and much more enjoyable. In the meantime, please obtain therapy for your SAD in order to take advantage of your health in your new residence after moving to Little Rock.
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