When the weather becomes harsher and the days get shorter, many people suffer from winter depression. What can you do about it?

The symptoms of winter depression

Winter depression, often also called winter blues, is something that many people suffer from. When the days get shorter again and the winter coat can be taken out of the attic again, many people suffer from winter depression. This is very annoying and the symptoms share a lot in common with regular depression. The winter depression is most characterized by an all-consuming gloom. The things you once enjoyed suddenly become much less enjoyable and when you enjoy something, the pleasure lasts for a much shorter period of time. This negative approach can make you more irritable and react more intensely to things. A comment from a colleague that may be just off the mark can make you completely upset. The great contradiction of winter depression is that it is characterized by both extreme emotions and eroded feelings. Because although you may react strongly to things, you still feel quite lethargic. You don’t feel like doing anything and would prefer to just hang out on the couch. Although this kind of lethargy causes lazy behavior, you can still be terribly tired without knowing exactly why. This dreary state of mind means that you have little desire to talk to people and prefer to stay home all day with good food.

In summary:

• Predominant feelings of sadness
• Explosive emotions
• Don’t feel like doing things
• Enjoy less than before
• Constant fatigue
• Crave social isolation
• Crying fits

How does winter depression arise?

There is no clear identifiable cause of winter depression. However, there are a number of things that characterize winter that these feelings can be traced back to. The best example of this is the decrease in daylight. The days are getting shorter and colder. Melatonin is a hormone that is produced in your brain when you are exposed to daylight. This hormone makes you sleepy in the evening so that you can fall asleep and is, as it were, an arbiter of your biological rhythm. The sudden change in the amount of daylight available can upset your biological rhythm, causing extreme emotions. Another and more spiritual driver of winter depression is the mental demotivation of the little daylight. ‘When I leave it is dark and when I come home it is dark’ is a frequently heard complaint during the winter.

What can you do against winter depression?

The most well-known – and most scientifically proven – way to fight your winter depression is through so-called light therapy. There are products on the market that cast a beacon of light that you have to sit in front of for a certain number of minutes per day. This would promote the production of melatonin, allowing the more natural biological clock to function again. There are also other ways to supplement this light deficit. For example, you can take a walk every afternoon, for example during your break from work.

Further:

• Try to maintain a normal sleep rhythm as much as possible
• Go outside enough
• Force yourself to do fun things despite your winter depression
• Talk about it with others