September is here and because I live in New England it is time for Patriot football, fresh apples and crisp fresh air. Most people are energized and ecstatic about this time of year, but not me. I am afflicted with Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. For the most part, I have an even keeled, optimistic personality. During the summer, I spend as much time as possible out doors and I am bubbling over with enthusiasm.  Something begins to happen to me mid August. The sun becomes lower in the sky, and like the sun, my positive attitude lowers. While most people are embracing the briskness, I am freezing.  Finally, my house is in a valley surrounded by trees. If you were to walk a quarter of a mile from my home, you would find the world sunny and bright. At my house, even at 11am, there are shadows and darkness. The combination of less sun and cool weather makes my SAD kick in. I wake up in the morning feeling anxious and tense.  When I leave my street, I feel buoyed as I drive in the sun. Upon my arrival home, a veil of tension envelops me like a thin layer of muslin. I get a sense that there is something wrong when there isn’t. I feel overwhelmed, discouraged and anxious.

  This year, I decided to use the experience as a teaching tool and make lemonade out of the lemons.  One of my favorite sayings is “If this is my reality, how do I make it work”.  I have decided to be conscious of the things I do to shift my energy in order to be more positive. For the past month, I have kept notes on the ways that I move through seasonal depression and I have formulized ideas and steps that you can adopt to help you. In my practice, I see many clients who suffer from chronic anxiety and they have found some of these suggestions helpful. I hope that you will too. Whether you are affected by anxiety, depression or SAD, it is my hope that these suggestions will help you to move more gracefully through it and embrace life more fully.

According to Robert Holden in his book, “Be Happy: The Power of Happiness in You”, one can train oneself to be happy. While SAD is diagnosed as a physical condition, my clients have experienced less tension and sadness when following some of these positive steps. 

1. Identify it. The first step is to pay attention to how you are feeling and where you feel your unease.  Identify the possible reasons for your feelings.  Are you out of work? Have your kids left for school and your house is empty? Is it a habit or a familiar feeling? Do you sink into sadness as a way to blow off or delay a creative action?   Are you sitting in your house with nothing planned and a void is created? When I begin to feel unsettled, I am ruthlessly honest with myself and scan my life and my present situation. If I am sure that there is no apparent reason for the sadness and uneasiness (i.e. I am hungry, getting sick or I am exhausted) and no current issues that need to be addressed, I just move on and decide to eradicate it anyway that I can. Julia Cameron states that “the act of motion puts us into the now and helps us to stop spinning” (Artist Way).

2. Note it fully, feel it, shake yourself off and move. After I have done a scan and realize I am anxious for no apparent reason, I move on. I think movement is one of the best antidotes for stress. If possible, do 20 minutes or more of exercise because it relieves stress, clears your brain and increases endorphins. Exercise moves us from stagnation to energy and from self pity to self confidence. When your alarm goes off, get out of bed immediately, stretch, take a shower and make time to eat a breakfast that is healthy and pleases your palate. (Healthy eating combats low blood sugar which can mimic anxiety).You can also listen to music that makes you happy: find a beat that matches the rhythm that you desire for your day.  After having taken care of your body, make the intention to go out and take on the day with some of the ideas below.  It is also helpful to accept your reality and stop fighting it. Instead, think about what you can do to help yourself. In my case, I can dress warmly and drink warm soothing drinks and cook warm, hearty meals. Because I know that I have SAD, I get out in the sun as much as possible. I often try to see a friend or do an errand late in the day, when my spirits are especially low. I sit in my car because it is warm and sunny, go for walks in the sun or read in a local mall because it has an atrium and gets sunlight.

3. “Wake up with a plan” suggests Susan Colon editor of O magazine.    Have tentative plans in place and be proactive with your day. The night before, decide on one thing to do the following day that pleases you and do it. I usually decide on a happy outfit I am going to wear because it helps me feel positive about the next day. If it is a day off, decide in advance the type of “adventure” you would like to have. Then get out of the house and do it, whether you feel like it or not.  Preplan and know activities that generally make you happy?  This is where a list of “touchstones” or “adventures” comes in handy. (See June 08 tip).  When you have free time and do not know what to do with yourself, look at the list of intriguing things that you would like to do. It may be perusing a book store, sitting in Starbucks, walking in nature, calling a friend.  Also have a list of things that you want to do when you have time and make yourself do them. Some ideas are cleaning out the photos on your computer, organizing files, or cleaning out your pantry or closet because when we organize our personal space, we feel more centered and calmer. If you are a social person, have a list of people that you can call. These people should be positive people who will boost your spirit and make you laugh. If you identify places and activities that make you happy in advance you will be more proactive when you are feeling low. Whenever possible choose to do what brings you the most joy. Be honest with yourself and write down the types of activities that interest you most and make you forget about time.

    Fall is here and for me so is SAD.  I am lucky, because once the leaves fall off the trees, my house gets sun again and I actually come out of it. But some of you are not as fortunate. Your SAD may last all winter or you might live with a low grade level of anxiety.  If your dip in positive energy is longer lasting or chronic, you will need to be more proactive but you can still have that shift.  The choice is yours: this year you can either stay in your house and “curse the darkness or you can light a candle.”

Blogg Questions:

1. What are some of your triggers for anxiety, depression or inertia?

2. Share a list of activities that make you happy or center you.

The goal then is to connect to a world outside of us, to loose the obsessive self-focus of self exploration and simply explore.  Julia Cameron