Hey my Lovelies,

During this time of the year it gets pretty gloomy, and if you live in the UK let’s just say it gets “gloomier”.With so much going on this year; Covid-19 pandemic, national lockdown, financial insecurity and general disappointments of life it’s even more so a challenge to stay positive and hopeful.Today, I’m going to be speaking of Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D) and 6 suggestions to help you get through the winter blues.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?!

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — S.A.D begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with S.A.D, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

As there is a drastic lack of sunshine this means we are not getting the right amount of vitamin D needed to naturally ignite our serotonin a.k.a The Happy Hormone (1 of many). Symptoms can include; irritability fatigue, lack of concentration, feeling despair, muscle and joint pain. Unfortunately winter isn’t something we can escape, especially now that lockdown is in place, so here are some suggestions to help you or a loved one to get through S.A.D.

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Additional Disclaimer: I am by no means trying to override anything your medical professional has told you regarding how to cope & manage your Seasonal Affective Disorder. These are just a few practical non-medicinal tips that are helping me to get through The Winter Blues, whilst dealing with chronic illnesses, the affects of living through a global pandemic and a national lockdown.

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^Journalling

When it comes to expressing feelings and emotions, it’s not something that comes naturally to everyone. It can be a challenge trying to channel pent up emotions into the safest space without feeling a sense of judgment. A personal diary or just a regular old notebook is a simple and yet effective way to get out exactly what is on your heart & mind. Whether you write in short hand, in the form of a song or a poem getting your thoughts onto paper can help you analyse what you’re feeling and manage it better. Sometimes you don’t even need to look for next steps or a solution but the simple act of writing what you feel down is 1) Letting go of a heavy load 2) A good way to monitor when you feel, how you feel and why you feel.

_Audiobooks

Fatigue is a major symptom of S.A.D which makes it difficult to read physical books. A great alternative to reading is listening to audio books. You can set a timer for how long you would like to listen and also keep track of what you’ve completed. This also helps to improve your passive learning as you can listen, rewind and take in knowledge on any topic you choose, fact or fiction. Audible keeps you in the loop of the many buy 1 get 1 free audio book deals.If you’ve never used Audible before – here is a link to your first free book – https://a.co/9an4pc3

Simply download the Audible app to start listening.

Audible: 5 Audio books for Mental Health & Personal Development

_Houseplants

Houseplants are my favourite things ever. If you haven’t gotten yourself a houseplant yet, what are you waiting for? These little green babies are a true source of joy and a great way to brighten up your space.The thing is with houseplants when you look after them, they’ll look after you. They’re the most reciprocating living organisms. Seriously, they take the Co2 that we exhale and turn it into the oxygen that we need to inhale, so everyone wins.You don’t need to build a jungle just yet, although that is in fact my personal plan, but just one houseplant will do you good.
If you aren’t green fingered and not sure if you can care for plants, here are a few types that are on the easier side of caring for.

Houseplants for new plant parents:

• Snake plant
• Aloe Vera
• Peace Lily
• Prayer plant
• English Ivy

_{Rearrange your room}

Being house/bedbound really takes a toll on your mental and emotional well-being, add a national lockdown and it’s been nothing short of a tough time for a lot. Being stuck indoors for extended amounts of time isn’t fun even for the most introverted person alive. We all need a change of scenery, fresh air and space to clear our minds but obviously if you’re in lockdown, high risk and lacking energy then leaving the house isn’t an option for you, so the next best thing is to change up your living space. You could set a project to revamp your room, change your furniture around, donate some items to charity or simply just hang up a favourite picture or painting. These little actions can instantly change the feel of a room and give you the positive boost you need right now.

_{Craft or Hobby}

Picking up a craft to do during the winter will help to keep you active physically and mentally, distract you from some of the pain that comes with chronic illness and Seasonal Depression. Crafts and hobbies also give you something to look forward to and achieve. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant craft just something that you can accomplish whilst in bed or around a desk if you have enough energy to prop yourself up.

Hobby suggestions:

• Colouring bookDrawing/painting
• Knitting/crochet
• Word search
• Puzzles
• Songwriting
• Poem writing

*Try taking pictures, videos or voice recordings of your craft progression. Over time you’ll be surprised at how far you’ve come with it*

_{Lumie Light Therapy}

Lack of natural sunlight has a serious adverse affect on our mental health. We need the sunshine as it gives us vitamin D for our bodies to function properly which then gives us a boost of serotonin – The Happy Hormone. A Lumie light is a decent alternative to brighten up your space to create an artificial sunshine that we need to stay cheerful. These light are UV Ray blocked so you unfortunately won’t get a golden tan but thankfully won’t get a heat rash either. You can set these to a brightness and intensity of your choice and even put a timer on it.

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To get your own Lumie Light

CLICK HERE

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Which suggestion did you like the most?!

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Thanks for stopping by,

Laura,

XOXO