Finding yourself more sluggish or irritable as the days shorten? It could be Seasonal Affective Disorder
As the times change, so does our personalities - at least in some cases.
With the weather cooling, the skies darkening, and more seasonal decorations find themselves adorning homes, some people may begin showing cases of anxiety or depression. While you may be seeing less light and reacting appropriately, doctors are seeing signs of seasonal affective disorder.
Now that our clocks are flipped back an hour, the day ends sooner than we're used to, which can put people in a bad mood. According to one Cleveland Clinic doctor, if winter blues are causing anxiety, it may be the onset of seasonal depression.
With the sun setting sooner, you may be feeling more sluggish/ It could be a sign of seasonal depression
As the winter doldrums creep into your life as cold temperatures settle in, you may find yourself showcasing more symptoms of depression and anxiety. For people in the northern states, we call that seasonal affective disorder or SAD.
"This is sometimes the way you can tell you might be wrestling with seasonal depression is your anticipation of the change of seasons; people start to notice that the days are getting shorter, it's getting darker. They may have some anticipation that, 'I really struggle' during these months,'" said Psychologist Scott Bea.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or more appropriately 'acronymed' as SAD, is a common type of depression and tends to impact women more often than men.
Bea said if you start to feel sluggish, tired, more irritable or you're craving carbs, these could be signs of seasonal depression. While some choose to treat the disease with medication or psychotherapy, others take a more holistic approach with light therapy.
How it works is someone suffering sits in front of a lightbox that's at least 10,000 Lux for a half-an-hour a day.
Other tips include making plans to socialize and exercise, especially before the frigid months kick in.
"It takes a little time to create habits but setting up those social opportunities, or a new obligation that's going to put you in contact with people would be great, or a way to move your body to renew a gym membership and really use it," said Bea.