5 Tips To Combat Seasonal Depression
Seasonal Depression is a condition that affects many people. When there is a change in season and there is not a lot of sunlight this triggers depression and puts people in a depressive state. Seasonal Depression is clinically referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder. If you take the three first letters in Seasonal Affective Disorder it spells, “SAD”.
When I see SAD I cannot help, but think of and relate it to the Standard American Diet. The first three letters of the Standard American Diet are SAD as well. Whether people agree with nutrition having a direct correlation with depression, it does not matter.
There is scientific evidence that shows how poor nutrition affects mood negatively. When the body does not get the necessary nutrients it needs to function it begins to malfunction. When the body malfunctions there is an imbalance. Depression comes from an imbalance of some sort. Now this is not to say that all depression comes from nutrition alone.
If you have listened to the Avi Unfiltered Podcast I discuss how environment and traumatic events play a role in depression. What I am saying is the poor diet can drive you into further depression. Sometimes people cannot escape the situation and environment that is causing them this mental distress, which is why I came up with these 5 Tips to Combat Seasonal Depression below:
Do What You Love
There is nothing worse than being depressed and working a job that causes you stress and even more depression. Take this time to introspectively examine if you need to make a change in your work life.This is not the time to say, “I have to do this for right now to make ends meet.”
Depression is very serious and can turn into suicidal thoughts. If something is increasing your depressive state then it may be time to extract yourself from that. This is totally up to you and I am coming from an extreme compassionate place. If you absolutely cannot leave that job, then maybe see if you can work part time so you can invest more into your spiritual, mental, and emotional well being.
If you love what you do for work, but find that you are not doing other things that you love then take the time to do what you love. If you want to take up a new hobby or do something spontaneous, but fear what others think, let this be the push for you to go for it.
Use Essential Oils
Essential oils that spark creativity, calm, and relax during these seasonal changes are extremely important to have. Essential oils, such as Wild Orange help boost mood and creativity. Diffusing this oil and even adding it to your water when you wake up can really induce happy feelings.
Frankincense or Boswellia is another essential oil that I recommend for calmness and relaxation. It reduces stress and calms the body on a systemic level. It will balance all of the chakras and bring uplifting feelings to the gut, heart, brain minds.
Roman Chamomile is a favorite essential oil of mine. I like to not only diffuse it, but use it in blueberry-filled desserts. It realty brings out the flavor of the blueberries. Now is the time of year when people will be spending time with family and baking. Why not add one drop of essential oil to bring out the flavor of your cakes or pies? I wrote a blog on 5 Essential Oils for Anxiety, which you can check out HERE
Go On A Vacation
Your mental health is important. I repeat your mental health is important. Yes you can take time off. No it is no one’s business if you take time off. No you are not lazy if you stop working to take a vacation. Fuck what people think and fuck what your shadow self thinks. You deserve to take time out for yourself. How you choose to live your life should be the life that makes you the happiest. It is YOUniverse. Choose a place that would really make you feel at ease. Choose a location where you can relax and go there. Even if you cannot travel there you can take time off and go to your favorite restaurant, your favorite park, your favorite movie, or wherever. Cultivate a peaceful inner realm so that the outside realm does not affect you.
Sacred Space
Is your home cluttered? The home is a reflection of the mind, which you can read more about HERE. Do you have a clear space to come home to or a spot at your favorite place that clears your head?
Having a home space or favorite place that you connect with on a spiritual level will bring you abundant joy. You can create a sacred room in your home where you can meditate and do some breathing exercises. You can go hiking and make that your sacred space. It is really up to what your spirit is telling you.
Light therapy
When the season changes there is a tendency for it to become darker earlier in the day. When it is dark outside this tends to put people in a state of depression. I cannot emphasize enough that the dark on the outside is a reflection of the darkness people are running away from. On a spiritual level people do not like being shown their shadow selves. The darkness ignites repressed feelings and emotional wounds, which affect the mental level.
There is an excellent therapy light sold on Dr. Fuhrman’s website. It can be purchased HERE . Light therapy has the ability to help the autonomic nervous system. Light therapy encourages the production of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that moderates neural activity. Serotonin is responsible for sexuality, mood, aggression, appetite, perception, and more. Make sure you go to bed between 10 pm and 2 am to get the full benefits of this wonderful neurotransmitter. Yes you can sleep past 2 am.
Recognize that the outside is an illusion of change. When we feel as though there is a change occurring on the outside that scares us, try to look at it with a spiritual eye. There is something that lacks within you. There is a void somewhere that is causing you to be unhappy and uncomfortable with the outward change. There can even be a spiritual awakening or transformation occurring and lots of dark things coming up. The change of the seasons may make it feel like you do not have a safety net. This is why incorporating those 5 tips mentioned in this blog is important. These tips will help your inside world stay grounded, while the illusionary world is changing.
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Do you suffer from Seasonal Depression? Let me know in the comments!
- XO,
Avi