The Mental Emotional Health Blog

First of all, I want to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers in the USA. And to all of my readers wherever you are, I am thankful each time you visit and write comments. This site is so much better because of all of you. I plan to someday add a wellness or positivity discussion board to allow MentalEmotionalHealth.com to become more interactive.

After my previous post on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), someone asked me about the lights some people use to help get them through the Winter months and the shortened hours of sunlight. Use of these special lights is called “phototherapy”, which has been shown to have some effects in counteracting the depressive symptoms of SAD. For a brief summary of SAD, check out http://www.smhca.org/sad.aspx . My previous post on Seasonal Affective Disorder is here:  http://mentalemotionalhealth.com/2008/11/19/get-those-healthy-habits-down-now/ .

Take care, everyone!

It’s already starting to affect me this year. The last few years I have seemed to get a taste of the Winter Blues, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. It usually isn’t bad enough to really nail my functioning and mood, but I have noticed a change already. The form it takes for me includes: tiredness with occasional fatigue, short-term memory challenges, little spurts of irritability, a little more difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, and each day I seem to either have noticeably more or less appetite.

The bad news is I’m expecting this in varying degrees until probably February. The good news is it will end and I am used to it and know what to do, and any of you that suffer through the winter months hoping for longer days can fight back these symptoms too.

Here are some ideas, pretty standard for fighting depression:

• Practice good nutrition, with meals or healthy snacks every 3 hours or so
• Stay hydrated with water
• Go to bed 1 hour earlier than usual
• Exercise lightly or moderately each day (even if it is for 5-10 minutes)
• Every once in a while, change your routine slightly or try something new (such as driving or walking a different way to work than usual)
• Talk with your physician or physician’s assistant now if you haven’t already, and then follow up again if you feel worse as the weeks go on
• Keep paying attention to your personal hygiene and shower daily, it helps
• Travel somewhere sunny and warm if you can

The important thing to remember is to not give up. Symptoms may be happening to you, but they don’t have to define you. Also, improvement is gradual so don’t expect a benefit to your efforts for at least 2 weeks.

When you remember and use your strengths, your weaknesses become secondary.

If you get the chance, spend some time outside this weekend. Observe and enjoy nature. Breathe some fresh air that hasn’t been pumped through vents. Take in some light that isn’t fluorescent. Look at colors that aren’t painted on walls. Listen to the wind blowing leaves around instead of the television.  Take your time instead of rushing.

I decided to try something new for this entry. For some reason I like to fill out brief questionnaires and polls online. I can read, think for a few seconds, and choose an answer. This is meant to be a little thought-provoking, although this is my first attempt so we’ll see.

So in MentalEmotionalHealth.com fashion, here we go: Decide which of the two choices you would pick if it had to be at the expense of the other. So pick one as if you know you would lose out on the other choice for each topic.

1. Personal - Which do you value more:  Integrity or Charity?
2. Personal - Freedom or Safety?
3. Personal - Which would you prefer: Facing your fears or living within your comfort level?
4. Personal - Which do you value more: Open-mindedness or Being correct?
5. Personal - Would you rather be well-liked or well-respected?
6. Relationships -  Honesty or Consistency?
7. Relationships - What you need or what you want?
8. Relationships - Would you rather have a life-long good friend or be with your soul-mate for 2 years?
9. Spiritual - Which do you value more: Being part of a faith community or Your individual expression of faith?
10. Culture - A world without music or a world without art?
11. Pets - Dogs or cats or other?
12. Iconic Cartoon Characters - Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse?