Fete Lifestyle Magazine January 2019 - Success Issue | Page 35

f you are someone who tends to get down and out as winter rolls around, you are not alone. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and not the lights that were on your Christmas Tree. Planning ahead for the “winter blues” (or Seasonal Affective Disorder) will allow you to get ahead of this very common ailment and put you in charge of your emotions instead of the other way around.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is real (SAD)

The specific cause of seasonal affective disorder remains unknown. Some factors that may come into play include:

Your biological clock (circadian rhythm)

The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD. This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body's internal clock and lead to feelings of depression.

Serotonin levels

A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, might play a role in SAD. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.

Melatonin levels

The change in season can disrupt the balance of the body's level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.

I began to check into SAD when I moved to cloudy, snow covered Minnesota from the sunny home state where I was born and raised in Florida. I thought I had prepared myself for the physical aspect of the temperature change, but I wasn’t prepared for how very real my emotional state would be affected. Wow! Was I ever surprised!

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