Managing Your Seasonal Depression
Recognizing Seasonal Depression
The latter part of the year, while cozy and cheerful for some, can feel dull and difficult for those suffering from seasonal depression. Yes, the turn of the season can evoke symptoms such as overwhelming anxiety and sadness, irritability, lethargy, among others due to a lack of warmth, light, and essential nutrients that a person normally gets from the sun.
If you’re familiar, you should know from experience how seasonal depression can interfere with your daily life, making it more difficult to complete certain tasks or engage in certain activities. When you’re in the throes of seasonal depression, the idea of “setting yourself up for success” can seem unrealistic—it’s hard enough to brush your teeth in the morning, let alone go the extra mile.
So, my suggestion to you is to do the opposite: set yourself up for failure instead. We’ll explain what we mean by that through a few examples below.
Taking on the Day
There are going to be days where the idea of getting up for work during the week feels completely unachievable. If you need those extra minutes in the morning (and you will) to help you muster up the energy, consider going to sleep in your work clothes. I know, it seems uncomfortable—but so is having to peel yourself away from the comfort and safety of your bed when all you want to do is stay there. If you can manage through the night, you’ll be able to roll out in the morning at the last minute and not have to worry about the extra stress of being late.
Personal Hygiene
Poor mental health often translates to poor physical health, making upkeep with your personal hygiene feel daunting at times. Our advice with this is similar: be okay with the bare minimum. If you’re in desperate need of a shower but can’t bring yourself to shampoo and condition your hair, leave a two-in-one solution lying around. This crams two steps into one, and while these types of solutions are never the most nutrient-rich, your hair will survive this wash every now and then, I promise.
Keeping Things Clean
When you can’t seem to take care of yourself, taking care of your space can also be a tall order. If that pile of laundry is too mountainous, pull a couple pieces out so you don’t have to plow through it every morning; if it’s taking up too much space on your bed, throw it on that chair in the corner. Trust that you’ll get to it eventually, but right now, you just need something other than pajamas to wear.
Same goes for dishes: if you’re struggling to get them all scraped and rinsed, and you have the luxury to, throw them in the dishwasher for a cycle. And if one cycle doesn’t do it, run it a second time—sometimes we hesitate to do such things as this so as not to be wasteful, but you don’t need to feel guilty for relying on these assets when you’re in need.
Takeaway
Of course, it’s important to make an effort to work through your seasonal depression when possible—whether that’s attending therapy, taking medicine prescribed by your doctor, or utilizing other resources at your disposal. That said, as we’ve addressed, we understand that there will be times where working around it is all you can do. There is no shame in this—even if all you do is get through the day, sometimes that’s enough.
