10 ways to beat the winter blues

When the sun is shining, people tend to feel happier and more energetic. Conversely, when it is dark and gloomy, people tend to lack energy and feel less sociable. The amount of sunlight that you get can affect your mood, appetite, energy levels and sex drive. If this sounds familiar, you may have a milder form of SAD called winter blues (people with SAD have more severe depressive symptoms).

10 tips to help combat the winter blues

Keep active
Research has shown that a daily one-hour walk, in the middle of the day, could be as helpful as light treatment for coping with the winter blues.

Get outside
Go outdoors in natural daylight as much as possible, especially at midday and on brighter days. Inside your home, choose pale colours that reflect light from outside, and sit near windows whenever you can.

Keep warm
If your symptoms are so bad that you can't live a normal life, seek help from your GP. Being cold makes you more depressed. It has also been shown that staying warm can reduce the winter blues by half. Keep warm with hot drinks and hot food. Wear warm clothes and shoes and aim to keep your home between 18C and 21C (or 64F and 70F degrees).

Eat healthily
A healthy diet will boost your mood, give you more energy and stop you putting on weight over winter. Balance your craving for carbohydrates, such as pasta and potatoes, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and vitamin D supplements. Good food sources of vitamin D include oily fish and eggs.

See the light
Light therapy can be effective in up to 85% of diagnosed cases. One way to get light therapy at home in winter is to sit in front of a light box for up to two hours a day. Light boxes give out very bright light that is at least 10 times stronger than ordinary home and office lighting. They are not available on the NHS and cost around £100 or more.

Take up a new hobby
Keeping your mind active with a new interest seems to ward off symptoms of SAD. It could be anything, such as playing bridge, singing, knitting, joining a gym, keeping a journal or writing a blog. The important thing is that you have something to look forward to and concentrate on.

See your friends and family
It has been shown that socialising is good for your mental health and helps ward off the winter blues. Make an effort to keep in touch with people you care about and accept any invitations you get to social events, even if you only go for a little while. It will really help to lift your spirits.

Talk it through
Talking treatments such as counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you cope with symptoms. See your GP for information on what is available locally on the NHS and privately.

Join a support group
Think about joining a support group. Sharing your experience with others who know what it's like to have SAD is very therapeutic and can make your symptoms more bearable. SADA is the UK's only registered charity dedicated to seasonal affective disorder. It costs £12 (£7 for concessions) to join and you'll receive an information pack, regular newsletters, discounts on products such as light boxes and contacts for telephone support.

Seek help
If your symptoms are so bad that you can't live a normal life, see your GP for medical help.

Source NHS Choices: Beating the winter blues

SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder, commonly referred to as SAD, is a type of depression that, as its name suggests, follows a seasonal pattern. The episodes of depression tend to occur at the same time each year, which - in most cases - occurs during the winter.

It is thought that SAD affects around 2 million people in the UK and more than 12 million people across Northern Europe. It can affect people of any age, including children. The symptoms are most likely to appear in people aged between 18 and 30.

In people with milder depressive symptoms, the condition is often referred to as "winter blues".

Causes

The exact cause of SAD is not fully understood at present. However, it is believed to be tied to a reduced exposure to sunlight during the autumn and winter months. Research has shown that sunlight can affect some of the brain's chemicals and hormones, but - at present - it is not clear what this effect is. One theory is that light stimulates a part of the brain called the hypothalamus which controls mood, appetite and sleep, which can affect how you feel.

In SAD sufferers, the combination of a lack of sunlight and a problem with certain brain chemicals prevents the hypothalamus working from properly. The lack of light is thought to affect the production of the melatonin and serotonin, as well as affecting the body's internal clock (circadian rhythm), which regulates important biological processes throughout the day.

Symptoms

As with other types of depression, two of the main symptoms of SAD are mood swings and a generalised sensation of apathy. Other symptoms include a noticeable decrease in activity and sleeping more. The condition is, at times, called 'winter depression', due to the fact that it is at that time of year when symptoms typically manifest themselves and are more severe.

Often the onset of symptoms will start in autumn, as the days start to get shorter, and are most critical from December to February. In  the majority of cases, the symptoms of SAD start to diminish in spring, before eventually disappearing.

Other symptoms include:

• Feeling irritable
• Feelings of despair
• Feelings of guilt and worthlessness
• Low self-esteem
• Indecisiveness
• Tearfulness
• Feeling stressed or anxious
• A reduced sex drive
• Being less active than normal
• Feeling tired and sleep more than normal (hypersomnia)
• Feeling lethargic (lack energy)
• Finding it difficult to concentrate
• Having an increased appetite and eating more than usual (hyperphagia)

Treatment

There are several types of treatment for Season Affective Disorder, amongst which the most common are: cognitive behavioural therapy; counselling and psychodynamic psychotherapy; the use of antidepressants, and - quite frequently - light therapy. If you present any of the symptoms described, visit your GP, who will be able to discern what the best form of treatment is for you. Although the condition can, at times, make day-to-day activities difficult, it can be overcome with the correct treatment.

Source: NHS choices: Seasonal Affective Disorder

What is important in your life?

If I ask a client, "What is important to you in your life?", I get automatic answers. Then if you ask again, "What specifically about each answer is so important to you?", then I start to hear what their values and beliefs are. It is like the old joke with Ms. Universe, "I want world peace", but when you get down to it, it is the safety they value for themselves, not world peace.

Writing down what you think is important to you in your life right now and then break it down more with "why".  You will begin to understand more how you are moving your life forward and why.  It is so vital you follow your true goals because you will go farther in with your drive and be happier doing it.

In another 6 months time, do it again.  The list will change as you change and discover your true passions in life.  And we should change as we grow as individuals and our life circumstances grow.

Have fun with learning about your true passions and focus on how to achieve them.  Life is an adventure and we are the explorers.

That's all folks.

How to fall asleep

Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? Then the following few tips should help you drift off to sleep. I am not talking about having a regular routine, using lavender under your pillow, or having a warm bath before going to bed. This is about when you are in bed and your mind starts to wander.

With your eyes closed do one of the following:

1. Think of all the places you found sleep came quickly (childhood bed, holiday, on a train journey being rocked back and forth like a baby).
2. Count backwards from 300 and if you mix up a number start again.
3. Imagine you are looking at a fireplace and watching all the colours within the flame.  Notice the gentle reflection of the glow of the fire in the room and how it makes you feel.  Then focus on the fire again until you "feel" tired and imagine reclining back and closing your eyes.  (This deepens your relaxation).
4. Write down your worries and put them in a drawer so they can sleep for the night and you can decide in the morning if you still want to wake up those worries or let them sleep forever in the drawer.
5. Tighten and release all the muscles in your body starting at your feet up to your head.  Going up your whole body slowly.  Then when you get to the top, start again at the feet (not squeezing and releasing) but this time imagine each muscle is relaxing even further to the point like you "feel" you can't even move a leg or an arm.
6. Imagine or focus on doing something so boring you want to go to sleep instead i.e. driving down an endless straight road.
7. Think of 10 things you are thankful for in your life and then say a mantra, "I easily and quickly fall into sleep".

Sleep well!

Stress busters and mood lifters

As the winter nights close in, fight back with these stress busters and mood lifters. Stay happy all winter long!

• Keep magnesium levels up. Magnesium is a natural tranquilliser (Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds) or get Bach's rescue remedy from Boots
• Make lists: things seems worse in our heads, use a calendar...
• Have a guilt free bath (oils and candles). You happy = everyone happy
• Learn to breathe
• Go for a walk and do other regular exercise like yoga/Pilates
• Get a massage or acupuncture
• Learn to meditate and use visualisation techniques
• Listen to music or a relaxation CD
• Self-talk... Say positive statements... Well done!
• Plan for your future but LIVE in the moment. 99.9% of the time we worry about things that might go wrong. So fee the fear and do it anyway!

Learn self-hypnosis and discomfort control