FIGHT SAD WITH BETTER ROUTINES AND MINDFULNES

Fall marks the beginning of the darker season, the season of staying indoors.  The temperature outside drops, and for some people, so do their moods.  It is this time of year that many people experience SAD.  Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a type of depression that a significant number of people suffer from.  The depression generally sets during the fall and doesn't begin to dissipate until spring.  For many people, SAD is a pattern of life, a pattern of depression, that occurs for multiple years or decades in a row.  

There are multiple effective treatments for SAD, nearly all of which do not involve pharmaceutical medications.  Consistent sleep patterns has been shown to have a positive effect on SAD.  Vitamin D therapy, red light therapy, taking a walk outside, engaging with family and friends, finding new hobbies, dawn simulating devices used to assist waking, opening the curtains and working near windows are all effective means of combating SAD.  

Mindfulness is another method of treating SAD that can be used in combination with nearly all of the above-mentioned potential remedies.  Mindfulness, simply stated, is completely engaging your mind in whatever it is you are doing at that moment.  For instance, if you are taking a walk outside, walking with mindfulness would mean you are focusing completely on things like your breathing, the feeling of wind on your face, the warmth of the sun on your cheeks, the sounds of nature, or how it feels from your toes to your head every time you take a step.  Engaging with loved ones in a mindful way would mean eliminating all distractions, focusing on the words being said, the tone by with they are said, and the body language used to convey them.  Mindfulness during a pleasant conversation would involve a thoughtful focus on the positive feelings being experienced during this interaction; it means being truly engaged and focused on the person or persons you are with and nothing else.  

Mindfulness ranges from difficult to impossible to achieve for long periods of time during most of our typical routines of work and home life.  But in those positive moments you have really focusing and being present for the experience has been shown to help alleviate depression, fatigue, anxiety, fear, anger and a host of other things.  It has also been shown to contribute positively toward human performance of tasks of the mind and of the body.

​If you’re interested in using mindfulness for SAD, how much time should you spend on it?  The correct answer is: we don’t really know yet.  More research is needed to determine what exact dose of mindfulness meditation will most effectively reduce SAD.  But don’t worry, we do have access to general guidelines. 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation every day for 8 weeks have proven to be very beneficial for the brain. 

5 steps to practice mindfulness:

1. Direct your focus to the present moment (for example by noticing sounds, smells, your breathing or the emotions in your body).
2. Try not to judge what you find. 
3. Get distracted by thoughts (this is part of the deal and simply how the human mind works).
4. When you get distracted (because you will), kindly bring back your focus to the present moment.
5. Repeat step 1-4 over and over again.