Beating Those Blues Before They Start
You have probably noticed the weather changing as Fall has quickly come. The darker mornings and evenings are all part of this shift, but it’s still hard to feel like more of your day is dark. When you add to that the cloudier season (in BC, anyway!) it all feels a bit blah. (As a therapist, I believe “blah” should be a legitimate feeling on the emotion wheel!) You might be wondering whether you can beat those blues before they start!?
Maybe even feeling a reprieve from some of the blues before they start, would be amazing.
It’s no lie that lacking sunshine (not to mention the heat) can directly attribute to your mood. There’s a chemical response in your brain, when the sun hides (and the days are shorter) through the cooler months. Seasonal affect disorder can leave you feeling down and depressed. It’s hard enough to experience this, but if you start to anticipate it before it starts, it can feel heavier.
If you struggle to beat those blues through darker months, I’m sorry you experience this.
You might wonder whether there’s hope – anything you can do other than bury your head in bed, wish you were a hibernating bear, or wish the months away. I’d like to suggest that there is! The first thing is to normalize your experience. This isn’t intended to minimize how debilitating – or at the very least exhausting – this annual experience can be. I hope you can feel that you’re not alone in this.
When you think of how you’re affect, your body, mind and emotions are all at play. From a physical perspective, moving your body can be incredibly supportive. This doesn’t mean investing in a gym membership or training for a 10km…those are good things though!
Moving your body means getting outside (you won’t melt, I promise!) on all days: rainy, sunny or just plain gray. Walk. If you can only muster a walk around the block, do that. It’s helpful if you can get yourself out for 20 mins. If you have a dog – definitely make use of him/her as motivation. If you have kids…throw on their boots, rain suit, and grab an umbrella. I remember taking my two oldest kids for puddle walks when they were toddlers. It was gross and they got muddy. And they loved it. They would run, jump into a puddle and shriek. A toddler laugh will lift anyone’s mood! 
Fresh air and the shift for your brain when you scan your eyes outdoors, is incredibly powerful for your wellness. You can shift your perception and how you are experiencing life, by scanning your eyes among the trees, clouds, grass, and other parts nature.
If you’re noticing your thoughts to be darker and you’re needing more rest (or not feeling rested when you wake up), I suggest trying some Vitamin D (drops). I’m absolutely not a medical professional, but the western hemisphere does not provide us with enough sun, meaning we are almost all Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D contributes to your mental and emotional wellness. There’s a direct correlation between low Vitamin D levels and depression/anxiety. Grab yourself a little bottle of drops!
Can I also encourage you that your social connections matter? It’s more typical in the darker months that you’ll spend time alone and indoors. This lack of social connections will affect you mentally and emotionally. Can you grab a quick coffee with a friend? How about a short walk (or playdate if your small humans aren’t in school yet)? If you work in an office setting all day, bring your umbrella or scarf and try to move your body during a break. Again, even 10 minutes can be so helpful – you’ll notice a perspective shift when you return.
Some of these suggestions might feel small – too small. I agree, they’re not huge. But small steps can shift for change. Some of the art of healing is the actual experience of healing. And, some of it is feeling like you have agency in your own ability to feel better. I think it’s common to feel like the changing of seasons is outside your control (it is!), so anything you can do to help feel like there is a shift in control is good.
If seasonal affective disorder – feelings of sadness, anxiety, loneliness, or other mental/emotion struggles are familiar, reach out! You don’t have to go it alone. I work with clients experiencing these, and more. Often, feeling like you’re not on your own in these struggles is a huge part of the shift. Please reach out and connect – I welcome clients online and in-person. I’d love to connect.
