How to Ease Seasonal Depression- SAD Naturally
Seasonal depression is also known as SAD- Seasonal Affective Disorder in more technical terms and roughly ten percent of the general public are believed to have this autumn and winter blues, and there are certainly ways to help relieve stress and the pressure of negative thoughts you feel on your mind.
The main reason is the shorter days in winter and the lack of natural light outside spring and summer and you can experience fatigue, a decrease in your energy levels, wanting to sleep more, loss of interest in physical activities, irritability and even sweet cravings as the serotonin regulation is affected during the winter months, by the increased production of serotonin membrane transporter (SERT) which moves the serotonin into nerve cells where they become inactive.
Firstly we all know about the general health benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids and how they can change your overall mood, emotional balance, and cognitive function. You can get it from fatty fish like mackerel, salmon, sardines, walnuts, chia, flax seeds as well as from supplements if you’re not able to eat foods that are rich in Omega 3.
Lack of Vitamin D especially in autumn and winter months when you have less sun exposure contributes to your bad mood and fatigue. You can find tablets that contain just vitamin D in high doses or with added vitamin B6, magnesium, calming herbs and other components in the pharmacies and health stores.
Anything that increases the serotonin production in your body will help reduce your stress and anxiety as you would be aware and the essential amino acid tryptophan found in protein-rich foods like red meat, poultry- chicken and turkey, eggs and dairy, certainly helps enhance the serotonin neurotransmitter so you have adequate amounts of it for it to help to improve your general mood.
You may have heard of the lithium trace element or mineral supplements which may help with things like insomnia, disturbed sleep, jet lag, bad mood and general irritability and it is actually a trace element naturally found in drinking water but please note that in much higher concentrations lithium tablets are also used in treating bipolar disorder, which is something like 250mg as compared to 1mg you need for seasonal moodiness.
The same argument is valid for the magnesium mineral as well because it works in hundreds of different enzymatic reactions and is known to help relieve stress, fatigue, irritability and nervousness and you can find it in things like almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and dark chocolate. Please try and push yourself to exercise even if you are not in the mood as you are depressed, go for a walk or run, do yoga, work out at the gym, do more cardiovascular exercise which will help with the release of endorphins in your brain and help keep your immune system healthy. SAD- Seasonal Affective Disorder is temporary as its name suggests and you will come out of it eventually when the sun starts shining.
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