Hello,
I was wondering if there are any people here diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal affective disorder)
For a few years now I have begun to become very fatigued and depressed during the colder months of the year. As soon as autumn hits my mood seems to just drop, and where I am often a very cheerful person who gets overly excited about everything, in the winter I turn into someone who can hardly function normally some days and who finds little joy in anything, even roleplaying and drawing (which are the things I love to do the most)
I did some research and stumbled upon this disorder, and honestly I feel like the description and symptoms fit me to a T. I dont condone self-diagnosis, and I am not going to say I have this disorder, but I am curious to hear the experience of people who have been diagnosed with it and how they cope.
Please everyone be respectful and refrain from simply posting comments of "go seek help". I am doing alright, there is no danger to me in any way and I am coping. My issues causes me to be tired and unmotivated but I have no feelings of causing myself harm whatsoever, I am simply low on energy. If I ever felt the need I know I can turn to my therapist as I have before; I just wanted to post this to see other people's experience and learn more about this disorder.
Stay safe and have a nice day!
Min-Ya
I was wondering if there are any people here diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal affective disorder)
For a few years now I have begun to become very fatigued and depressed during the colder months of the year. As soon as autumn hits my mood seems to just drop, and where I am often a very cheerful person who gets overly excited about everything, in the winter I turn into someone who can hardly function normally some days and who finds little joy in anything, even roleplaying and drawing (which are the things I love to do the most)
I did some research and stumbled upon this disorder, and honestly I feel like the description and symptoms fit me to a T. I dont condone self-diagnosis, and I am not going to say I have this disorder, but I am curious to hear the experience of people who have been diagnosed with it and how they cope.
Please everyone be respectful and refrain from simply posting comments of "go seek help". I am doing alright, there is no danger to me in any way and I am coping. My issues causes me to be tired and unmotivated but I have no feelings of causing myself harm whatsoever, I am simply low on energy. If I ever felt the need I know I can turn to my therapist as I have before; I just wanted to post this to see other people's experience and learn more about this disorder.
Stay safe and have a nice day!
Min-Ya
I can't speak in an informed manner about this, but I couldn't scroll past either
Aw 
Thank you, lots of love back! You're the best 
Thank you, lots of love back! You're the best
Heya! To start off, SAD has actually been renamed Major Depressive Disorder with a Seasonal Pattern. I just so happen to have this! It's really difficult, especially as a student, because it makes it really hard to get things done. It also affects my relationships since I don't really want to socialize as much, and that really takes a toll on me. But I've found some methods, with the help of my therapist, that have really helped!
First off, I highly recommend getting your blood drawn! It could be that you're having a vitamin deficiency, or an auto-immune issue. If that's not the root cause, it can impact you very negatively. It's generally a good idea for anyone who is having fatigue.
The thing that's helped me the very most has been getting a sun lamp. You can also get a light box, or something like that... just look up light therapy lamp and you should find something that works. I cannot recommend this enough. On days I do light therapy, I feel much more energetic and motivated, and these days I usually get a lot done, both academically and creatively!
When you're getting into the swing of light therapy, I'd also recommend trying to be physically active, if only for a little bit whenever you can. Seasonal Depression can really get you into a viscous cycle of staying in bed because you're depressed, but then staying in bed makes you feel worse, and you're so sad so you just stay in bed... so get up and get moving and break that cycle!! Woohoo!!!!
Lastly, it's really important that you're planning ahead according to your personal patterns. Knowing when you need to start exercising more, doing more light therapy, and keeping an eye out for your mental health... I looked up a base guide real quickly, but it depends on your individual patterns. I'd recommend speaking with your therapist!
-Exercise more toward the end of summer
-Get into therapy around September
-Start your lightbox in October
-Plan a vacation to a sunny spot in January
That's just a generic guide off google though.
If you think you have seasonal depression, it's a good idea to let your therapist know! It's super easy to diagnose, but the way it's treated is a bit different than typical treatment for depression.
I hope this helped! I'd love to talk about it more!
First off, I highly recommend getting your blood drawn! It could be that you're having a vitamin deficiency, or an auto-immune issue. If that's not the root cause, it can impact you very negatively. It's generally a good idea for anyone who is having fatigue.
The thing that's helped me the very most has been getting a sun lamp. You can also get a light box, or something like that... just look up light therapy lamp and you should find something that works. I cannot recommend this enough. On days I do light therapy, I feel much more energetic and motivated, and these days I usually get a lot done, both academically and creatively!
When you're getting into the swing of light therapy, I'd also recommend trying to be physically active, if only for a little bit whenever you can. Seasonal Depression can really get you into a viscous cycle of staying in bed because you're depressed, but then staying in bed makes you feel worse, and you're so sad so you just stay in bed... so get up and get moving and break that cycle!! Woohoo!!!!
Lastly, it's really important that you're planning ahead according to your personal patterns. Knowing when you need to start exercising more, doing more light therapy, and keeping an eye out for your mental health... I looked up a base guide real quickly, but it depends on your individual patterns. I'd recommend speaking with your therapist!
-Exercise more toward the end of summer
-Get into therapy around September
-Start your lightbox in October
-Plan a vacation to a sunny spot in January
That's just a generic guide off google though.
If you think you have seasonal depression, it's a good idea to let your therapist know! It's super easy to diagnose, but the way it's treated is a bit different than typical treatment for depression.
I hope this helped! I'd love to talk about it more!
Ah, and I forgot to add... you're not alone at all, and I want to let you know that it's not hopeless. I was diagnosed recently, and while it's far from perfect, I can see a clear difference. It's certainly a change from collapsing in the hallways, overwhelmed by the weight of my fatigue and depression. Although at the moment I'm definitely not my "summer self," I'm getting there. It just takes some work!
You seem super cool, so feel free to DM me! They're always open
You seem super cool, so feel free to DM me! They're always open
Oh, thank you a lot for your reply! It was very educational and enlightening, I've never heard ofa light box before so I'm looking that up right now!
I recently started keeping a bullet journal to sort of encourage myself especially during the tougher months of the year as well as to keep track of my mood and habits. I feel that it gives me something to do in filling it out, and also helps me really keep track of whats going on. When you enter the fog of depression it can just feel like every day sort of floats together and time moves so quickly and yet so slowly at the same time.
In the start of Autumn I started taking Vitamin D and Magnesium supplements (along with my usual vitamins) and though it took a while for me to feel a difference, I really do think they have helped in giving me more energy and less fatigue. It hasn't changed my mental state, but physically they helped me feel better which made day to day life a little easier.
Where I live we've recently gotten some more sun, spring is around the corner, which is really nice. I'm still looking to educate myself more around this though so I can prepare for next autumn, so thank you for that list and the tips! I really do appreciate it You seem really nice and the support is appreciated.
All the best!
Min-ya
I recently started keeping a bullet journal to sort of encourage myself especially during the tougher months of the year as well as to keep track of my mood and habits. I feel that it gives me something to do in filling it out, and also helps me really keep track of whats going on. When you enter the fog of depression it can just feel like every day sort of floats together and time moves so quickly and yet so slowly at the same time.
In the start of Autumn I started taking Vitamin D and Magnesium supplements (along with my usual vitamins) and though it took a while for me to feel a difference, I really do think they have helped in giving me more energy and less fatigue. It hasn't changed my mental state, but physically they helped me feel better which made day to day life a little easier.
Where I live we've recently gotten some more sun, spring is around the corner, which is really nice. I'm still looking to educate myself more around this though so I can prepare for next autumn, so thank you for that list and the tips! I really do appreciate it
You seem really nice and the support is appreciated.All the best!
Min-ya
You are on: Forums » Smalltalk » Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Moderators: Mina, Keke, Cass, Claine, Sanne, Dragonfire, Ilmarinen, Darth_Angelus