The Season of SADness

Winter. It’s a beautiful time of year. The first big snowfall of the season is often magical and lends to feelings of nostalgia from winter memories of our youth. However, with the coming of beautiful winter days, we often lose sunlight, and with the loss of sunlight, sometimes comes emotional imbalances. 

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the winter months correspond to the Water element. The water element is associated with fear, and can manifest in different ways within the body. Excessive feelings of fear tends to injure the kidneys, and when the kidneys are deficient, energetically, we may see symptoms such as:

• fatigue
• shortness of breath
• low back pain
• knee pain
• general feelings of weakness
• anxiety
• urinary retention problems
• high blood pressure
• inflexibility and resistance to change

While the majority of these symptoms may be rooted in the physical manifestations, the more emotional aspects of wintertime often tend towards sadness. And while “sadness” is typically associated with the Autumn season in Chinese Medicine, clinically, we’ve found it more abundant in the wintertimes, when the darker days and fewer sunshine hours truly start to take effect. Feelings of sadness are a normal part of life. However, when an individual experiences sadness significantly during the darker months, and not at all during the sunnier months, this disorder is categorized slightly different, due to its recurring pattern tied with the seasons. It is fitting, thus, that the official name for people who experience feelings of sadness and depression in the winter, for a pattern of at least two consecutive winters in a row, is Seasonal Affective Disorder, or “SAD.” 

Seasonal Affective Disorder is characterized by the typical symptoms of feeling depressed, along with feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, low energy, wanting to sleep for very long periods of time (hypersomnia), changes in appetite (often towards over-eating), and possibly losing interest in activities that were once enjoyed. Seasonal Affective Disorder may affect anyone, but it’s typically more prevalent in women, in people between the ages of 15-55, and those with a history of the disorder in their family. Younger aged individuals have a higher risk of SAD than older adults, and the risk of getting SAD for the first time decreases with age. 

Treating SAD may thus seem like a complex problem; as they say, “You can’t change the weather!” Nor the seasons. Thankfully, there are several ways to combat the seasonal blues and stay more emotionally balanced through the winter months:

• Light Therapy — as one of the primary causes for SAD are the lack of sunlight, light therapy has emerged as a way to combat the symptoms via exposure to artificial light. Patients treated with light therapy sit near or even work next to a device called a “light therapy box,” which gives off a bright, sunlight-like light that imitates natural outdoor light. Morning treatments are often the most effective, and sessions should last for a minimum of 20 minutes. Several models of light therapy boxes are available for purchase online, however, it’s best to consult with a healthcare provider before beginning light therapy to discuss cautions and contraindications, as well as the best way to engage in light therapy. 
• Acupuncture — people with sad have been found to have trouble regulating a super-important neurotransmitter involved in mood: serotonin. Acupuncture treatments have a positive effect on mental health by affecting the nervous system pathways. Inserting the thin, filiform needles into the body can modulate a great deal of neuroactive components, which communicate to the brain using pathways of the afferent nervous system. The result is a significant increase in serotonin and endorphins, which boost moods and lead to increased feelings of happiness. 
• Talk Therapy — often times, simply having a better understanding of why we are feeling the way we are gives us a sense of empowerment. Going to a psychotherapist and talking through emotions can thus be hugely beneficial. Psychotherapists may engage patients in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) in order to help identify and change patterns in thinking and behavior that are harmful or ineffective for the patient. They then work to replace these patterns with more accurate, liberating thoughts, and functional behaviors. Therapists may often work with the patients continuously as they begin to practice these new patterns of thoughts and skills in their daily lives. 
• Vitamin D — people with SAD sometimes have a deficiency of vitamin D, which is normally attained from a combination of food and sunlight. For individuals who live in climates and seasons with fewer hours of sunlight, having too little vitamin D in the body is very common. Supplementing vitamin D is a fairly easy fix for this disorder, but speaking to a healthcare professional about ways to increase foods that naturally contain this vitamin may be even healthier and more effective than supplementation.

With the treatment options above, or some combination of them, often times Seasonal Affective Disorder can be manageable, or even resolvable. Practitioners at Herb + Legend can help with each of these treatments. If you or someone you know may be suffering from SAD, get in touch to book an appointment, and we can work to kick SAD’s butt together!