How are you all?
To day I want to talk about Seasonal affective disorder. I know what you are thinking it's summer this is not relevant, Have you lost your mind?
No, I have not. I used to suffer from this in the summer time as well as winter. I worked night shift and could go days with out seeing the sun as I slept through the day time hours.
What is S.A.D? It is a depression illness which has the following symptoms
Symptoms of SAD can include:
- a persistent low mood
- craving carbs and gaining weight
- feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day
- a loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities
- irritability
- feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness
- sleeping for longer than normal and finding it hard to get up in the morning
I really struggled. All over social media was people enjoying summer and I was in a constant state of winter and dark. I am not the only person in the UK who suffers from S.A.D in the summer.
I want to share with you how I combated this.
First and foremost I craved light and daylight in particular.
I got myself a needlite. This is an amazing desk light for your computer. This is like you are in the daylight at your desk at night.
I found this light helped my productivity and increased my mood. This is a must if like me you work at a desk. I love that you can activate it with an app. It has a function where if your phone leaves the room it turns the light off. Perfect for saving energy.
I love that you can turn the light up and down with is great if like me you work shift so as you are ending your shift and the natural day light is very high you can turn it down and still have the same effect. I love the simple design. My friend has one in her bedroom as bedside lamps.
I contacted my GP. I was worried I wouldn't be taken seriously as it seemed crazy to me to have this in summer. I was fully supported and received Help and guidance. Never be afraid to ask for help. None is perfect and I am to the outside world a very bubbly and happy person but no one really knows my turmoil. I was prescribed anti depressants.
I found getting my routine right also helped. Eating and drinking had to be more routine and not if and when I felt the need to eat as I was doing. Your body is a machine it needs fuel to run.
My days off I tried to get as much natural daylight and vitamin d as I could spending time outside really helped and I changed my night time routine to go to bed later to try and minimise the damage to my routine.
I am not embarrassed to ask for help and I think this is the main point of this post. If you are struggling with any kind of mental health. Please ask for help. You are not alone.
MissLJBeauty
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