Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD, affects many people during the fall and winter months when there is a decrease in sunlight.

Coping With Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

What Are Some of the Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder?

• Experiencing depressive symptoms during the fall and winter, and no depressive symptoms during the other seasons
• Sleeping more than usual
• Increased appetite
• Experiencing a decrease in energy
• Losing interest in activities that you usually enjoy
• Experiencing problems focusing

What Can You Do to Cope With Seasonal Affective Disorder?

• Try to get as much sunlight as you can, including going out for a walk during the day, keeping shades or blinds open to get maximum exposure to light, spending time near a window at work and going away, if you can to sunnier vacation spots.
• Exercise at a level that is right for you to raise your endorphin levels.
• Try doing gentle yoga to elevate your mood.
• Spend time with close friends and family doing activities that you enjoy.
• Eat nutritious meals and limit caffeine.
• Consider light therapy.
• Manage your stress

Coping with Seasonable Affective Disorder: Get As Much Light As You Can

Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):  Consider Light Therapy

If none of the above suggestions work, it's a good idea to see your medical doctor to rule out medical issues that cause depressive symptoms.

For instance, many people who have an undiagnosed thyroid condition, can have depressive symptoms, but once their thyroid is stabilized, they are no longer depressed.  So, it's a good idea to rule out medical problems first.

If you have ruled out medical problems and the suggestions above for dealing with SAD aren't working for you, consider seeing a psychotherapist to determine if you have Seasonal Affective Disorder or if you have a different form of depression, such a major depressive disorder or dysthymia (see my article: How to Choose a Psychotherapist and What is the Difference Between Sadness and Depression?)

Getting Help in Therapy
An experienced psychotherapist can help you to develop resources for dealing with seasonal affective disorder so that you are better able to cope with the decrease in light during the fall and winter.

Seeing a psychotherapist, who knows how to work with SAD can make such a difference in the quality of your life.

If you're suffering with SAD, get help today.

About Me
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR and Somatic Experiencing therapist who works with individual adults and couples.

I have helped many clients who suffer with SAD to overcome SAD symptoms.

To find out more about me, visit my website:  Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Some Thoughts About Autumn and New Beginnings

My school days are long behind me, and yet, even as an adult, whenever autumn rolls around, I feel the same type of anticipation I felt when I was a student.

Autumn and New Beginnings

I can still remember the excitement and anticipation about starting a new school year and everything involved with preparation for the new year:  getting new outfits for school, buying new pens and pencils, and wondering what my teachers would be like and who would be in my class.

To this day, even though I have a Smart phone where I could schedule my appointments, I still use an academic appointment book that runs from August to September because that's how I still experience the year.

To me, September feels like the beginning of the new year--not January.

As a child, I experienced that last day before going back to school with a sense of wistfulness.  I still feel that way as summer ends and autumn begins.

Up until that last day,  summer seemed to go on forever.

It's interesting how we experience time as children as opposed to how we experience it as adults.  Now, of course, each summer seems to go by faster and faster.  

I had a cousin who would lay around brooding all day long on the day before school started because she wanted to make that day feel like it lasted a long time.

Autumn:  New Beginnings

Somehow, for me, Autumn still feels like it's the time for new beginnings.

After taking it easier during the summer, Autumn brings a sense of starting something new, whether it's new projects, new commitments that we make to ourselves or a new perspective that we hope to develop.

Starting Therapy

After being away for all or part of the summer, along with all the other changes that people anticipate, many people consider starting therapy in the fall.

If you're considering starting therapy, whether it's for the first time or you're returning to therapy, I hope you will enjoy reading some of these articles and that they'll be helpful to you:

The Benefits of Attending Psychotherapy
Common Myths About Psychotherapy: Going to Therapy Means You're "Weak"
Common Myths About Therapy: Therapy Takes a Long Time
How to Choose a Therapist
Overcoming Your Fear of Attending Therapy
Starting Therapy With a Sense of Curiosity and Openness
Starting Psychotherapy: It's Not Usual to Feel Anxious and Ambivalent
Psychotherapy and Beginner's Mind
A Strengths-Based Approach to Therapy
Why Is It That It's Usually the Healthiest Person in a Family That Goes to Therapy?
Getting the Most Out of Your Therapy Sessions
Psychotherapy and Compassionate Self Acceptance

About Me

I'm a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR and Somatic Experiencing therapist who works with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website:  Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or send me an email.