By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
As exhilarating as moving to Atlanta is, at some point the moving high disappears and you return to this planet along with a great big thud. If re-entry is throughout the winter time, it can result in seasonal depression--also called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Especially if your move has taken you a place where winter is a real thing--like if you've gone from Arizona to Maine-you need to be ready for some seasonal anxiety symptoms and know how to deal with it through to the spring thaw.If you recollect anything at all about high school geography, the more north you go, the less sunshine you will find in the fall and winter periods. The shorter days usually go hand in hand with dismal gray days, so that it feels like the sun never shines for many days on end. Then just about all you wish to do is hibernate--stay home, snooze, binge watch TV shows, and just steer clear of the human race. For those who have just moved across the country and are in a new place, and you have not yet essentially settled into a new normal routine as yet, you'll find it much easier to fall into the grip of seasonal depressive disorder. Therefore, here is how you can address it from home, or a couple of solutions a specialist may advise if you're unable to keep it at bay by yourself.
One thing--SAD is actually a thing--the Mayo Clinic handles it, as well as the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) contains it. If you feel the outward symptoms of depression linked to winter months, seek intervention if you've had the symptoms in the past.
Light Healing
Phototherapy is the miracle bullet for lots of people with SAD. It is a uncomplicated treatment that scientists believe transforms your brain balance with half hour per day of exposure; There are no serious adverse effects and it is a home treatment, so it is worth a chance. You will want a light box which produces at least 10,000 lux (lux factors in the concentration of the light). Sit by the box--approximately 16 to 24 inches away from you--while you enjoy your morning cup of coffee, not looking head on at the light but with your eyes open. Be sure the light box is made particularly for SAD therapy, as it will filter out UV light.
Hassle-free things--higher-watt light bulbs, opening window coverings every day, and sitting by a window at work, if possible--that bring you to additional light will have a detectable benefit. Cut back all shrub branches that hang across your residence to let in additional sunshine, and research putting in skylights to allow all the light you can to the house.
Head Outdoors
Go for a walk, eat your lunch break outside--anything to soak up some weak winter season rays. Even just a modest increase of Vitamin D is ideal for you and also going outdoors for a brief walk handles that as well as getting your pulse up. Early morning sun--even on gloomy days--packs a bigger wallop compared to weak mid-day light, so strive to get out to start your day.
Exercise is the default method for helping any kind of depression--it gets the endorphins running, which relieves the outward symptoms of tension and anxiety. If your new house is located in a locale where wintertime sports are prevalent, find a new pastime--snow skiing, ice skating, maybe ice fishing. Make an effort to go outside and make friends, even if it's just having dinner or having coffee with colleagues.
If your SAD lasts after you've attempted to deal with it by yourself, you should seek a medical professional's guidance. A psychologist or psychiatrist can do a thorough assessment of your mental and physical wellness and evaluate if your symptoms are actually seasonal or perhaps the start of a more persistent depressive disorder. One of the first questions they will ask is if any additional family members are susceptible to SAD--it is thought to be hereditary. Treatment solutions could be talk therapy, rest or meditation, or perhaps short-term prescription for antidepressants.
Keep in mind that as winter gives way to springtime, so will your SAD decrease as the days get a bit longer as well as warmer. Meanwhile, please obtain treatment for your SAD so you can delight in your wellbeing in your new house after moving to Atlanta.
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