Seasonal depression

It is not easy to fund people who long for dull autumn days and prolonged winter nights. Most people feel better in summer, when it is sunny and warm. We spend more time out of doors, enjoy life and nice weather.

Some people react negatively to seasonal change. When autumn comes their good mood transforms to depression and stress. They need much time to get up, their depression increases and their irritation reaches its peak. This state gradually fades away when spring comes, life changes for the better.

The origin of seasonal depression is not yet fully discovered. The main assumption is that the lack of sunlight worsens the mood. To get rid of seasonal depression a person usually needs 2 or 3 sunny days. This disease is observed among men and women of different ages and belonging to different races and living in different countries. But it seems that women are more predisposed to it in comparison with men.

What can a person do to cope with seasonal depression if he/she can't afford to spend winter vacation on one of sunny health resorts? The following pieces of advice can be helpful to you.

1. Enjoy morning light.

Get as much daylight as you can in the morning. Get up early, go for a walk in the morning. If it is difficult for you, you may simply sit at the window. People, who work all day long experience lack of daylight in the morning.

2. Eat food, which contains amino acids.

Eat turkey, white of an egg and drink milk. Though there is no scientific evidence that this diet really works.

3. Avoid alcohol or caffeine.

The use of alcohol or caffeine is a common way people resort to in order to cope with seasonal depression. Caffeine can give you temporal reassurance, but it can also cause anxiety, tension of muscles and gastrointestinal problems. Alcohol is an antidepressant but on the other hand it can lead to an aggravation of depression.

4. Do physical exercises regularly.

Experts claim that physical exercises have positive impact on physical activity during the seasonal depression. Exercises are useful at least because you go out early in the morning. When people are depressed, it is usually hard for them to cope with their tasks, and sometimes the simply do nothing. Physical exercises may prevent from depression.

5. Eat out-of-doors.

If you can't go out in the morning, try at least to go out during your lunch break. In any case natural light is better than nothing. Light of an overcast day can be also helpful to you.

6. Stick to a timetable.

This will help you to balance your biological clock. It is especially important to go to bed and get up in the morning at the same time.

7. Enjoy the sun.

Try not to curtain off the window throughout the day.

If it is possible, try to move to a more sunny place.

Depression in summer

While winter depression is the most common type of seasonal depression, some people suffer from a quite opposite problem; they experience depression during the warm summer months. Its symptoms are the same as in case of the winter form of seasonal depression.

Such people can improve their state spending summer vacation in the north and bathing in cold lakes in summer.