By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
As exciting as moving to Wichita Falls has been, at some point the moving high goes away and you come back to ground with a great big thud. And when re-entry is throughout the winter season, it can cause seasonal depression--also known as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Specially if your move has brought you somewhere where winter season is a real thing--like if you have gone from Florida to Minnesota-you need to be ready for some seasonal anxious feelings and learn how to keep it in check through to the springtime thaw.Should you recollect anything at all about high school geography, the further north you travel, the less sunshine there will be throughout the fall and winter periods. The brief days seem to come together with gloomy dull days, so that it feels like the sun never shines for weeks on end. This is when just about all you'd like to do is hibernate--stay home, sleep, binge watch TV shows, and merely steer clear of the human race. For those who have just moved across the country and are in a new location, and you have not yet actually established a new routine yet, it is quicker to succumb to the clutches of seasonal depression. Therefore, here is how you can address it from your own home, or a few treatments a qualified professional could recommend if you can't keep it from escalating on your own.
One thing--SAD is a real thing--the Mayo Clinic handles it, and the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) contains it. If you experience the outward symptoms of depressive disorder that come with winter months, get treatment in case you have had the outward symptoms in the past.
Light Therapy
Phototherapy is the magic bullet for many people with SAD. It's a simple procedure that scientists think modifies your brain chemistry with half hour per day of exposure; There aren't any substantial unwanted side effects and it's a home remedy, so it's worth a chance. You will want a light box which emits at least 10,000 lux (lux factors in the intensity of the light). Sit by the box--between 16 to 24 inches away from you--while you enjoy your morning drink, not gazing straight at the light source but with your eyes open. Ensure the box is made particularly for SAD treatment, as it will filter Ultraviolet light.
Basic things--higher-watt bulbs, opening shades every day, and sitting by a window at work, if possible--that get you to additional light may have a notable benefit. Trim back any shrub limbs that dangle across your residence to let in more sunshine, and investigate putting in skylights to allow all the sun you can into the house.
Go Outside
Go for a walk, eat your lunch time outside--anything to soak up a few weak winter sun light. Even a modest increase of Vitamin D is ideal for you and also going outdoors for a brief stroll handles that in addition to getting your pulse up. Early morning sun--even on overcast days--packs a greater wallop compared to weak mid-day sun, so make an effort to go out to get going with your day.
Working out is the default protocol for helping almost any depression--it gets the endorphins working, which often relieves the symptoms of tension and anxiety. In the event that your new house happens to be in a location where wintertime sporting activities are prevalent, find a new hobby--snow boarding, ice skating, perhaps ice fishing. Attempt to go outside and make friends, even if it is simply eating dinner or having coffee with co-workers.
In the event your SAD persists when you have tried to regulate it on your own, you should seek a physician's help. A psychologist or psychiatrist can do a comprehensive examination of your mental and physical health and determine if your symptoms are really seasonal or the start of a more persistent depression. Among the first questions they will likely ask is if any different family members are subject to SAD--it is thought to be hereditary. Treatments could be talk therapy, relaxation or meditating, or possibly a short-term prescription for antidepressants.
Remember that as winter gives way to springtime, so will your SAD lessen as the days get longer as well as warmer. For now, please seek treatment for your SAD to help you take advantage of your life in your new residence after moving to Wichita Falls.
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