5 Tricks to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal depression can be debilitating and professional help is crucial. But for the estimated 25 percent of us who experience a milder form of SAD (aka the winter blues), these strategies can help.
By Corrie Pikul
Don't Try to Perk Yourself Up with a Trip to CancĂșn
What you've tried: Telling yourself "If I start to feel really bad, I'll book an escape to someplace warm and sunny."
Why it might not work: Rohan says there's no better way to ensure that you'll start to feel really bad. In general, she's not a fan of what she calls "vacation therapy" for the winter blues because she's observed that her SAD patients often crash within a few days of returning home. This could be due to the extreme contrast between immersing themselves in warm, sunny weather one day and their home climate (say, snowy, cold Vermont) the next.
What to try instead: Take a staycation, where you relax at home (and maybe book a few appointments with a therapist). If you can't bring yourself to give up your February vacation to Grandma's beach condo, Rohan recommends having a plan in place for when you get home to deal with relapse—like a week full of movie and coffee dates.
Why it might not work: Rohan says there's no better way to ensure that you'll start to feel really bad. In general, she's not a fan of what she calls "vacation therapy" for the winter blues because she's observed that her SAD patients often crash within a few days of returning home. This could be due to the extreme contrast between immersing themselves in warm, sunny weather one day and their home climate (say, snowy, cold Vermont) the next.
What to try instead: Take a staycation, where you relax at home (and maybe book a few appointments with a therapist). If you can't bring yourself to give up your February vacation to Grandma's beach condo, Rohan recommends having a plan in place for when you get home to deal with relapse—like a week full of movie and coffee dates.
Published 09/19/2014