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Imagine: You’re experiencing snow or rain one day, sunny skies the next, and slush or black ice are lurking outdoors morning and night. It’s March, and you find yourself with unwanted winter body fat, irritable, and fed up with seasonal changes. It’s enough to make a person feel blue and out of whack, but you don’t have to be miserable during the change of seasons. Balance is the key to surviving the hump month.
Welcome to the World of Sad
Back in the mid-1970s, Dr. Norman Rosenthal relished the long dog-day summer afternoons in New York City. “I had boundless energy,” he recalls. Then the shorter days and longer nights of winter set in. His energy level declined. Strangely, when spring came and the days got longer, his gloom-and-doom attitude disappeared.
Dr. Rosenthal was suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD, a name coined by him), a condition that causes low moods, weight gain, and anxiety—especially in the winter months through late spring. “What makes SAD so specific is that the depression comes when the seasons change,” explains psychologist Deborah Serani, Psy.D. (drdeborahserani.blogspot.com), of Smithtown. “Genetics may play a role in understanding SAD. Research has shown us that melatonin, a sleep-related hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain, has been linked with SAD. This hormone is produced at increased levels in the dark. Therefore, when the days are shorter and darker the production of this hormone increases. So those with SAD may have a more sensitive hormonal system than others,” she contends.
“And with changeable weather, our body clock and neurochemistry may not be readily able to make the swift changes necessary. One of the reasons for the SAD experience could be that while the days look and feel warmer and brighter, the body hasn’t shifted its neurochemistry to align with the changes. So it starts to do so, and then—bam—it’s cold and dreary again. So for some, the rollercoaster weather can play havoc with their mind, body, and psyche,” adds Dr. Serani.
If you are suffering during the change of seasons, it’s time to turn this pre-spring period into a time of self help; try turning to these five positive ways to see the light.
1. Lighten Up
Researchers have been able to identify several genes that work in concert with our body clock, determining our circadian rhythms. “With SAD and the changeable weather patterns, light therapy has been shown to suppress the brain’s secretion of melatonin,” notes Dr. Serani, who recommends light therapy as a treatment. “It could also help suppress winter withdrawal hormones, and produces active mood hormones. In essence, it resets the sleep/wake cycle.”
On another positive note, on March 9, 2008, Daylight Saving Time begins in the United States. That means we will have longer days sooner than later this year—good news for people who are SAD-prone.
2. Eat a Happy Diet
While light therapy may ease pre-spring discontent, nutritional experts believe that happy foods are important, too. “People with depression often have low levels of serotonin—a neurotransmitter believed to be involved in modulating mood and appetite. By eating tryptophan-rich foods we can naturally boost levels of serotonin. My favorites are low-fat milk and cottage cheese,” explains Keri M. Gans, R.D. (kerigansnutrition.com), president/spokesperson of the American Dietetic Association. “The best way to fight stress and be happy is to eat an overall healthy diet—plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean protein, and more monounsaturated fats.”
Shorter days, longer nights, and a crazy climate, especially without sunshine, can make you feel depressed, lack energy, and pack on the pounds. Olive oil—a healthful monounsaturated fat—is not the cure-all for SAD, but it can help you become energized again if you team it with other remedies. Each day, for lunch and dinner or both meals, drizzle extra-virgin olive oil—which contains the most disease-fighting antioxidants—on a dark, leafy green salad with plenty of fresh vegetables. If you eat lots of veggies teamed with olive oil, which can fill you up, you’ll be less likely to fill out.
3. Get a Move On
Like light therapy, exercise is another mood enhancer and way to dump extra pounds during the seasonal change. Feel-good endorphins are one of the ways exercise is beneficial. “The brain generates a substance called endorphins that may be responsible for much of the benefits of exercise. Endorphins create a sense of well-being and pleasure, and reduced feelings of pain and distress,” explain Laura L. Smith, Ph.D., and Charles H. Elliot, PhD., in their book Seasonal Affective Disorder for Dummies (Wiley, 2007). “A study in Russia (where they have their fair share of SAD) found that exercise and light therapy worked about equally well in treating SAD. Not only that, both treatments resulted in weight loss—a common problem experienced by SAD sufferers. You can either exercise indoors with bright lights, or you can exercise outdoors.”
A bonus tip: To stay clear of black ice and falls, walking or running on a treadmill is a good alternative. Also, swimming in an indoor pool is another great way to get a workout and feel good, too.
4. Chill Out
Staying physical can stave off SAD woes to a point, but some researchers believe longer days and spring air can cause sudden changes in brain chemistry leading to reduced sleep, elevated thoughts, and anxiety or “hypomania.” No worries, according to board-certified health counselor Jennifer Edden (wellnessfromwithininc.com), of Huntington. “Stay as balanced as possible through the holidays, starting in November, and through February,” she suggests. “This way, when spring comes you most likely will need only a tweak, not an overhaul.”
5. Change Your Environment
While most people with mild winter-spring doldrums need not escape to a tropical island, a change of environment can certainly lift your mood. Dr. Rosenthal suggests enhancing light levels at home or in your workplace by installing more lights on the ceiling or placing more lamps in the room. For some, warming up may help, too. Warmth strategies to try include turning up the thermostat, using electric blankets, drinking herbal teas, and layering on more clothing.
And sometimes, ancient remedies are best. According to Rosenthal, the Roman medical author Aulus Cornelius Celsus gave the following advice to melancholics during the reign of Emperor Tiberius: Live in rooms full of light; indulge in cheerful conversation and amusements; and listen to music.
Life in the Balance
Balance is the key to your health and well-being—balanced diet, balance of work and play, balanced relationships with both humans and pets. These are the secrets to surviving the change of seasons before flowers bloom bright and birds sing happily when spring finally breaks into full swing
10 Tips to Beat Spring Fever
Spring is a time when love is in the air. Rather than sing the blues when couples seem to be blossoming everywhere you look, let the sun shine on you. Here are some tried-and-true tips from people who live in New York and have weathered spring fever.
1. If you are solo, hug or adopt a companion animal. Caring for a pet can help lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Find animal shelters on Long Island at longisland.about.com/cs/pets/a/pet_adoption.htm.
2. Talk to a human. Feeling lonely? Pick up the phone and call someone you know. Or better yet, make a social call in person.
3. Visualize an oasis. Whether your “peaceful place” is in a Long Island garden, a museum in Manhattan, or some other calming place, simply close your eyes and picture it.
4. Get adequate shut-eye. Ever notice that when you don’t get enough sleep, you get cranky, or overeat sugary foods? Eight hours is the amount of sleep recommended by experts to help replenish your body and mind.
5. If you are single, de-clutter your home. This will help you feel renewed and recharged and ready begin fresh when you meet that special someone.
6. Buy a hardy houseplant (or two). Your best bet during the pre-springtime: philodendrons. Not only do plants help you achieve a healthy environment by removing pollutants from the air in your house, they de-stress in the planting process and get you into a nurturing mode.
7. Laugh more. A happy person will attract and help connect with other happy, well-balanced people, not only during the seasonal change but year-round as well.
8. Don’t forget the oil and vinegar. While you’re waiting for Mr. or Ms. Right to come into your life, visit your local health foods store (a good place to meet good people) and purchase eco-friendly white vinegar and olive oil for spring household cleaning as well as to eat for a healthy lifestyle.
9. Make an appointment with your M.D. Don’t neglect the importance of self-maintenance; before spring arrives, schedule an annual checkup with your doctor.
10. Commit to exercise regularly. Join a local health club, gym, indoor pool, or yoga studio to get and stay in shape. An added bonus: You will be around health-conscious people rain or shine.
Spring Two-Day Detox Diet
This slimming, healthy jump-start meal plan, from Cal Orey’s book The Healing Powers of Vinegar, Revised and Updated (Kensington, 2006), can help you shed unwanted winter weight.
Breakfast:
Fresh berries (no limit)
Lunch:
4 ounces fresh white-meat turkey
Greens with dressing made of fresh parsley,
1 tablespoon each virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar, and spices to taste
1 cup fresh berries
6 to 8 ounces fresh flounder, sole, or salmon
1 cup fresh berries
• Drink a minimum of six 8-ounce glasses of water with fresh lemon throughout the day.
• Check with your doctor before starting this or any diet.
• For an extra healthful edge to this diet plan, every day before each meal, drink 1 tablespoon of
apple cider vinegar in an 8-ounce glass of water. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey, if desired
Well-Being on the Web
www.healthyminds.org The American Psychiatric Association offers information about SAD and other mental disorders.
www.apa.org/pubinfo The American Psychological Association provides data about the treatment of SAD.
www.nimh.nih.gov The National Institute of Mental Health offers research on SAD and provides resources for locating practitioners in the field.
www.sltbr.org The Society of Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms provides information about SAD, light therapy, melatonin, and circadian-rhythms disorders.
webmd.com This Web site contains information about SAD and psychological treatments, prevention, and more.
Cal Orey’s latest book is The Healing Powers if Olive Oil: A Complete Guide to Nature’s Liquid Gold (Kensington, 2008). Visit her website at calorey.com
Allison Biszantz, Sunday, March 02, 2008 at 07:03 AMSADD is something that I'd struggled with all my life when I was up in Utah, espcially and Washington, and lest I forget Idaho. It affects (that's why they call if an 'affective disorder' so many aspects of life, and Cal Orey has just done an magnificient job of taking me by the hand, walking me down the path and showing me what I can do about it. That article was worth the price of admission for sure, and congratut on your magazine for publishing resources for us.
Shandell, Sunday, March 02, 2008 at 09:19 AMGood article and a great reminder of many things I have forgotton.
Flowers are a great pick me up and will be heading out to the flower store for some this weekend.
