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Learn how to spot seasonal affective disorders and how to temper expectations over the next few months
Editor’s Note: This article discusses mental illness and briefly mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health issues, resources are available by calling 211 or the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988.
This time of year can be many things: Joy and bustle, parties and gifts, snow and sleds, cozy winter nights.
But it can be heavier than that, too: Fear and stress, grief and loneliness, maybe a little too quiet until spring.
If you are ever feeling down during the holidays or as we begin the colder months, you are not alone. Seasonal Affective Disorder (known as SAD) and the holiday blues are two commonly known mood disorders that can tremendously affect our days.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 20 adults in the U.S. experience a mental illness each year. In South Dakota, that counts for 30,000 adults seeking mental health care.
But 1 in 5 adults experience a serious mental illness, accounting for more than 14 million adults in the U.S.
If you’re someone already experiencing this, or may experience the symptoms soon, here’s a look at what Sioux Falls area mental health experts say about how you can take care of yourself and what resources exist in the community for support.
What is seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs during the fall and winter seasons. It is also known as the winter blues.
NAMI shares that SAD is often brought on because of shorter days in the wintertime, which means less sunlight, less Vitamin D and a chemical change in the brain: less serotonin (a natural mood booster) and more melatonin (a hormone your brain produces in response to darkness, like when you are sleeping or outside in the dark).
SAD can last between three to six months, and many people notice swift signs of improvement in the spring, when the longer daylight hours return, and it is warmer outside.
SAD is also known to have a greater effect on those who are already living with mental illness.
“This time of year is very tough on our members,” said Phyllis Arends, board treasurer for Empire Mental Health Support.
The nonprofit support group is made up solely of volunteers who also live with mental illness or are the loved ones of people who do. They are not professional medical providers; rather, they approach their free services with empathy and understanding. Their weekly support groups, educational programming and awareness of local professionals build confidence in a community enduring winter blues and beyond.
“If you have anxiety or bipolar disorder, periods of mania or depression, all those things are compounded this time of year,” Arends said. “It can be a real struggle.”
What does SAD look like and feel like?
According to Avera Behavioral Health, people who are enduring SAD experience:
- A significant, persistent mood decline
- Feeling down, melancholic, sad or worthless
- Feelings of guilt
- Oversleeping
- Overeating / change in appetite
- Lack of concentration
- Lack of energy
- Scary thoughts
“Sometimes, it can get to the point that you don’t even want to get out of bed,” Arends said. “But remind yourself when the alarm goes off to get up, get dressed, find something you like to do and then force yourself to do it. Try and do something pleasurable every day.”
Sara Van’t Hul, outpatient behavioral health manager with Avera Health, said winter blues are known to impact women—usually between ages 18 to 30—four times as much as men.
What about holiday blues? How is that different from SAD?
Holiday blues look and feel the same as winter blues, but are instead brought on by stress or grief during the holiday season. This usually begins around Thanksgiving and ends around the start of the new year.
Van’t Hul said holiday blues can be brought on by unrealistic expectations, financial stress, travel, increased social events or grief from missing a loved one.
“This might be the first holiday you have an empty seat at your table,” she said. “Practice self-care and set realistic expectations.”
What can you do if you are experiencing SAD or the holiday blues?
If someone is experiencing SAD or the holiday blues, Arends and Van’t Hul agree the best solution is “talk therapy.”
Stay in touch with your medical provider who can help you tweak medications as necessary, and perhaps start seeing an outpatient therapist or a counselor, or increase appointments with an existing therapist or counselor.
Arends also suggests visiting with others who are experiencing SAD by attending support groups, at EMHS or elsewhere. It’s an opportunity to share freely how you are feeling with people who understand and are likely going through the same thing—especially if you are living with a serious mental illness year-round.
Van’t Hul suggests purchasing and setting up in your home a “SAD light,” which is a form of phototherapy that imitates natural sunlight and tricks the brain into thinking it’s warmer outside.
She also recommends exercise, especially outside in the brisk air, and writing down your thoughts often or keeping a gratitude journal.
“Instead of stressing out about the things you don’t have, focus on what you do have and write down something you are grateful for every day,” she said.
What community resources are there to help me?
Tracey Quint, marketing coordinator for the Helpline Center, shares many local resources available to those experiencing SAD or the holiday blues.
- Call 211 for emotional support or complete an online search for your support needs.
- Check out a robust list of individual counseling opportunities in the Sioux Falls area. Search here.
- Call 988 (the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline, answered 24/7) if you are experiencing mental-health related distress, suicidal thoughts or substance abuse and would like more emergency emotional support as well as resource suggestions and treatment options.
Southeastern Behavioral HealthCare is a private, nonprofit agency that promotes emotional wellness in our community. Their resources include counseling for children and adults, 24/7 resources and therapeutic groups. Learn more here.
Empire Mental Health Support offers a few support groups each week and encourages anyone to attend and build friendships. These include:
- Care Group for someone living with mental illness symptoms, 2-3 p.m. Fridays at 737 W. 10th St., Ste. 103
- Family Support Group, 6:30-8 p.m. Sundays at 737 W. 10th St., Ste. 103
- Peer Support Group, 2:30-4 p.m. Mondays at First Presbyterian Church, 2300 W. West Ave.
- Arts & Crafts, 1-2 p.m. Fridays at 737 W. 10th St., Ste. 103, before the Friday Care Groups
“Just take it one day at a time,” Arends said. “Be kind to yourself, and don’t beat yourself up because you’re not feeling the way you think you should be feeling. Longer days are coming, and this, too, shall pass.”
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